A Man Named Laguna
by DKD
Summary: AU. It was supposed to be a simple job: baby-sit Okajima, then steal the Asahi disk when he wasn't looking. But I should have known it wouldn't be so easy. Now I'm stuck in Roanapur; mercs on my tail, and Two-Hands out for my blood. Feedback requested.
1. The Job

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Black Lagoon, it's characters, locations, yadda yadda. I do however own all characters, locations, yadda yadda that are not part of the Black Lagoon universe. So if you don't recognise it, chances are I own it.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way :)  
This is a story I wrote based on the first two episodes of the anime in order to flesh out a character (namely Laguna) for a novel I was going to write for my University course. At the moment that novel isn't going anywhere, but I did like this story, so I decided to start up a fanfiction account and upload it to see what other thought of Laguna and his setting. If people like this story, then I may write up other episodes, but for now, I hope you enjoy what I've already written.

Note: This story is going to assume the first episode of Black Lagoon happened late 1990, possibly early 1991. This is primarily based on the the date on Diego Lovelace's tombstone (1991) and the mention that his death occured last October as of the first apparence of the Lagoon Company crew in the manga's El Baile de la muerte arc. Revy also mentioned Rock's been with the crew for a year as of the Greenback Jane arc. Also assuming that other events were going on in Roanapur at the time of Diego Lovelace's death (I'd guess around the time of the Goat, Jihad, Rock'N Roll arc in the Manga canon, or the Greenback Jane arc of the anime.) I could be wrong of course, but for now this is the time I've set for it.

* * *

**#1  
****THE JOB**

"So what's the job?"

"Hush. Vait moment. I vont to finish ice cream."

I regarded my companion from behind tinted shades, before sighing and returning my gaze to the ocean beyond.

Like most of the denizens of Esperanza's innards, the man couldn't have looked more out of place here, sitting with me outside one of the many beach side ice-cream parlours, licking messily at the ninety-nine cent vanilla cone and ignoring the uneasy stares of his fellow patrons.

It might have been almost comical, watching this heavy set man with bulging muscles, slightly tanned skin and skinhead hairstyle devour the helpless ice-cream, drops of vanilla dripping onto his shabby Hawaiian shirt and shorts. It _would_ have been comical…until you noticed the handgrip of a handgun poking out of his pants.

I don't doubt for a moment a few strange looks were sent my own way, curious eyes taking in a pale, clean shaven man with neat dark hair and dressed in a black buttoned down suit and tie, grey eyes watching the world from behind tinted specs. I ignored them.

"Okay. I am done," it almost sounded like a grand announcement as my companion popped the last of the cone into his mouth and began sucking at his ice cream covered fingers one by one. "I have job for you. From Bratva."

I'd figured it was the Russian Mafia today. The mook's heavy accent and broken English had told me that much.

"It's been pretty quiet recently," I regarded him quietly as the Ruskie retrieved a box of cigarettes from his shirt pocket, "What needs cleaning up?"

Esperanza was a small city; taking up an entire island all of its own just off the coast of Colombia. Once dreamed by Spanish settlers to be a haven from the laws set down in their lands and that of the New World, it was a now a metropolis of secrets and pacts. A place where the Russian Bratva, Italian Mafia and Colombian Cartel vied for control of the city's innards while her actual government turned a blind eye, keeping a thriving tourist industry towards the shining façade that was the outer ring. Those that lived here knew where the line was, the place where the shiny happy place that was Neuvo Esperanza made way for the darker shades of Ninguna Esperanza. It was an aptly named place of no hope, and the city council knew better than to tread there, just as the leaders of the gangs knew it was worth the bribery to stay out of the lands of new hope.

But sometimes, underlings from either side would begin to think they knew better. Occasionally a mob war would erupt just that little bit too close to the edges of the ring, near enough for the gunshots to be heard over the sound of children's laughter and the beachside arcade machines. On the other hand, a cop too good for his paycheque might suddenly decide to try and expunge the grim of the corrupted from this city. And sometimes someone just needed reminding that things had to be kept on a roughly even front.

Which is where I would usually come in. I'm normally a…garbage man of sorts. I clean up the mess of the Ninguna side when it spills into the sunlight, and stop those of the Neuvo side from trying to push back the dirt. I'm good at my job; I've taken out more then a few share of idiots from each side of this four way balancing act. It's probably one of the reasons I've managed to survive this long.

But lately, things had been…quiet. Mostly due to the Chekov incident. Everyone was still licking their wounds and trying to rebuild their lines and miniature empires. A peace such as this was refreshing I guess, but bad for my business all the same.

"No clean-up," the Russian shook his head as he lit up. "Transport work. More of a babysit."

"Then I think you have the wrong man," I slowly got to my feet, "I'm not much of a babysitter…"

"Please, sit," my companion indicated to the chair I'd vacated. "Please. Ve understand vork been lax lately. Ve need outsider. Please, sit."

A skinhead with etiquette. Just when I thought this city couldn't surprise me anymore. Nonetheless I remained standing, watching as the Ruskie went back to his cigarette.

"Tell me what the job is."

"You take job?"

"I think about it."

He seemed vaguely insulted as I mimicked his speech pattern, but he shrugged as I sat back down on the scuffed metal chair.

"Like I say, baby-sit job," he paused for a moment to take another drag, his eyes following a young pair of buxom teens in strips of cloth that apparently was to be taken for swimsuits as they almost seemed to bounce by. "Ve need outsider. Not from Bratva. Can't know. Thought of you."

"So what's the job?" My patience was wearing thin.

"Boss heard rumours of another branch. Hotel Moscow. You know Roanapur yes? Make Esperanza look like fucking Shangri-La."

I closed my eyes. I'd heard of Roanapur of course; a shit hole along the coast of Thailand near the entrance to the gulf. Like the Ruskie said, things might be bad in Esperanza, but that place took it to a whole new level. There were no garbage men like me there. There was no need. The only way you could fix Roanapur was if you nuked the place. Not that anyone ever would, even if they could get their hands on a city buster. It was a capital of crime, something for the scum of the Earth to aspire to, such scum including those that wallowed in the depths of Ninguna Esperanza.

It was however, no place for me. I turned back to the ocean.

"What about it?"

"Problem is Hotel Moscow Boss. Bitch named Balalaika. Too big for boots if you get drift."

"Do you want me to…"

"No, nothing so stupid," the Ruskie grunted, somewhere between a laugh and a choke on his own smoke. "Bitch Balalaika ex-military. Paratrooper. You get nowhere near her. Not even kilometre. No, Boss vont you to slow her down. Baby-sit. Transport."

"Like I said, I'm not a damn courier," I scowled slightly, my tone sharp. "You can tell Varenkov if he wants a mess cleaned up, that's fine, but I'm not one of his fucking lapdogs. If he wants an outsider to go halfway across the world just because some bitch is getting his panties in a twist, I'm sure the Cartel or Mafia would gladly lend him a mook…."

"But times are hard no?" the Ruskie smirked, eyeing me, "Been quiet since Chekov. Been quiet here. Been quiet in Ninguna. No good business yes? Might be vhile before fucker toes the line again."

I smirked and turned my gaze to lock with his over the rim of my glasses, "It might be you."

"HA!" several children at the nearby tables jumped at my companion's short laugh. "Boss pay me enough to keep trap shut and follow orders. Pay you more though, if you take job."

I watched him carefully.

"How much?"

"Six grand now, if you take job. Ten more if you get job done. Four more still if you do something special."

"Twenty grand huh?" I smiled slightly. "I think I might like this Balalaika lady. Anyone that gets Varenkov to dish out that much cash can't be all bad."

"Peh. She too big for boots, Boss says. Making us look bad, most because of Chekov. This job slow her down a bit."

"You still haven't told me exactly what this job is about."

The Ruskie took one last drag from his cigarette, before tossing it out into the street before us. He then proceeded to grab another from his box with his yellowing teeth.

"Like I say. Baby-sit job. Boss has contact. Says bitch Balalaika planning to steal something. Disk from big company in Japan, Asahi Industries. No know vhat on the disk though. Ve vont you to make sure disk stays away from bitch Balalaika. Either get it to destination or destroy it. For bonus though, get it to Boss. Big bucks made there yes?"

I frowned at him, folding my arms across my chest.

"I'm not fond of travelling away from here. I don't like getting away from this city."

"Vhat, you think things fall apart without you?" the Ruskie laughed coldly as I adjusted the buttons of my suit. "There more garbage men, garbage man. You no special. You vone in thousand other. You lucky Boss give you job. Vhat makes you think you special…"

His voice died as I pulled a of sidearm from it's holster hidden under my suit jacket, his face visibly paling as he found himself looking down the barrel.

The parlour went silent.

"Walther P88 Custom." my face was set, eyes watching my companion over the rims of my shades, "semiautomatic, fifteen round magazine. A little heavy maybe and the slide stop can be a bitch sometimes, but still amazingly accurate. Of course at this range I don't think it's much of an issue."

"H-hey…no so hasty…" the Ruskie swallowed thickly. "I kid, yes? Kid! You good at job! Superb! Best in business!"

My scowl darkened. This was one of those aforementioned idiots that might one day toe the line between Neuvo and Ninguna. I might do myself a favour if I pulled the trigger right now.

That said…

"Um…excuse me sir?"

I glanced back into the open parlour, taking in the hesitant teen behind us, his hands wringing the apron he wore over his pure white uniform.  
"Um…Firearms aren't permitted on the boardwalk, I'm…going to have to ask you to leave. Also, you should know it's illegal to smoke on these premises, so it might be best if your friend also left," He winced heavily as I stared him down, his eyes darting to the nearby tables. "Also, you're scaring our customers."

I followed his eyesight to the table behind the Ruskie, where a family of four stared wide-eyed at the scene before them, the mother pulling her young son a little closer under my gaze.

I paused for a moment more, before smiling quietly and returning the pistol to its holster. I wasn't about to discharge a weapon in broad daylight anyway. The paperwork alone would be a nightmare. Besides, I wasn't going to get paid if I offed the Ruskie here and now. Bullets aren't free after all.

"Tell Varenkov if he can get me in, I'll do the damn job," I rose from my chair, my companion sighing in relief as his entire form visibly sagged. "But I'm not his lackey, understand? I'm not adding babysitting to the list of things I do around here."

"Yes, yes. I understand." the Ruskie nodded vigorously. "I tell Boss. You go to Port tomorrow, eleven sharp. Seaplane vill vait for you there. More information there."

"Good. Now get out of here."

I smiled as I watched the heavy man scramble to his feet and make a dash down the road. It was nice when all it took to get a mook under control was the threat of a bullet through the skull.

I turned to the young vendor, still rooted to the spot, still wringing his apron madly. Beside him, the family of four were quickly finishing their ice creams and making a quick escape in the opposite direction of the Ruskie.

"You been here long?"

"Um…" the teen recoiled slightly, "Around three months I think. M-my Uncle runs this place and…"

His voice faded slightly as I reached into my jacket, his face visibly paling until I withdrew…my wallet.

"Sorry for the trouble," I pushed several fifty dollar bills into his surprised hand, "and welcome to Esperanza."

* * *

The Chekov Incident was the integral plot point of the original novel. As such, it will only be referenced, but not ever explained (In case I do actually get the damn thing published.)

Laguna's primary weapons of choice are duel Walther P88 Customs. The Walther P88 was a semi-automatic high capacity military and law enforcementpistol that was in production from 1988 to 1996, when it was replaced by the Walther P88 Compact. It featured a double stacked magazine and chambered 9x19mm Parabellum rounds and also used a unique combination ambidexterous decocker and slide release. One major setback of the P88 was the weapon's slide stop; It was thought to be hard to reach and manipulate, requiring the user to shift the gun in hand to operate (although this is according to wikipedia not personal experience). Laguna's P88s have been customised to get around this, although the problem isn't completly solved, and he is going primarily by trail and error. Both the P88 and P88 Combat are fully ambidextrous.

I hope that was informative. If I decide to make this a full series, I may transfer such info to my author profile.

I hope you enjoyed it so far. With any luck, the next chapter will be out same time next week.

Thanks for reading. Any reviews or feedback (short of flames because those are just pointless.) are always helpful.

DKD


	2. The Lagoon Ran Red

**#2**

**THE LAGOON RAN RED**

So, this was how I'd gotten this far, stuck on a boat out in the South China Sea. Turned out Varenkov had managed to persuade Asahi Industries I was a big time bodyguard, and they would need a man such as myself to protect the disk until it reached its destination in Borneo. Apparently they'd been fairly reluctant to dish out the cash to hire me…until they were told on good authority that a certain Russian bitch was going to try and steal it.

Not that I expected to get paid by them for this job. God willing, I'd of had disk in hand before we made port and then it would have just been a case of returning to the shit hole they called Esperanza.

That all seemed so far away though. Right now, all that was before us was the shimmering waters of the South China Sea, the stirring winds of…

"AGH!"

I winced heavily as the poor Japanese businessman (whose name currently escaped me) I'd been assigned to protect found himself sent sprawling into the railing, blood dribbling from his nose as his attacker lowered his fist for his gun.

It had been an excellent bit of piracy, if I was brutally honest. The boat had come out of nowhere and assaulted us from behind with an RPG, making intentions perfectly clear. The attacking boat had then circled round our bow and deployed two crewmembers before our own crew could even react. Now one idiotic mechanic lay dead and the others remained huddled in the shade of the Bridge Island, bodies curled up, their hands behind their heads.

And where was I, you ask? I was standing above this scene, hidden in the shadows of the Bridge's entrance several decks up. The only way you last long in my profession is by learning patience. Believe it or not, going into a situation guns blazing is very rarely the best way to go. For the best results in my job, you had to watch your enemy, and wait for the perfect time to strike. Which was why I'd kept myself hidden while the other crewmembers had been gathered up like cows to the slaughter. Considering no one had come looking for me, it was obvious these pirates didn't have a crew roster, but the way they singled out the businessman (His name still escaped me) and roughly took his bag, it quickly became clear they had been hired to steal something specific, namely that damn disk.

From above, I had a near perfect view of everything below me.

The two attackers stood with the businessman a little ways away from the shadows of the Bridge Island, just close enough to be heard over the sound of the waves. One was a large hulking African-American, scalp shaved, with a thin beard around his chin and large revolver pointed at the businessman's head. His companion by comparison was skinny and athletic, a young twenty-something woman, with pale skin and darkish hair, possibly dyed. Her weapon of choice currently pointed at the poor businessman's skull was a semiautomatic, one of two she kept in holsters under her arms over the short tight black vest she wore to accompany her daisy dukes, combat boots and the large tribal tattoo that ran the length of her right arm and up her neck. I don't think I'd ever met a gunman that had exposed his or her self that much. You could see more skin then clothing for crying out loud. I suspected she was nothing more then eye-candy, maybe the Captain's whore doing part-time work as a stand in or something. Of course I had been keeping quiet and out of sight during the actual battle, so I had no idea exactly who did the killing on deck.

"Alright Mr. Japanese, I'll ask you one more time," The African American's voice rumbled up from the deck below while the businessman nursed his broken nose. "The package you got from the Asahi Industries headquarters in Tokyo, the one you're in charge of until you hand it over to the chief in Borneo?" he pulled something out of the chest pocket of his jacket, "This is it right?"

The business man nodded weakly, his voice too quiet to be heard.

"We're all done with you now," whatever he'd said, the big guy seemed satisfied with his answer. "You've given us what we wanted."

"Dutch, this is a pain in the ass," I felt my eyebrows hike up as the woman spoke, loud enough to be barely heard, but with a tone as hard and cold as steel, "I say we kneecap this pussy. There'll be no secrets after that…"

"There's no need," the big guy, Dutch, replied mildly. "That one disk is more then enough for the compensation."

"Peh. You call _that_ compensation?"

I frowned slightly as I began to undo the buttons of my jacket. Just what was on that disk that was so important anyway? Not that I particularly cared, it just seemed like an awful lot to go through for such a tiny piece of tech.

I let the jacket fall open as I reached within in it for the tools of my trade. For the basic jobs back in Esperanza, the pair of Walther P88 Customs that hung under my arms were usually enough to get the job done. Sometimes though, a little extra punch was required to get the bullet to the target, and for that I carried a third handgun, slung across my left side, across from the rack of five magazines (Two for each P88, one for my 'special' cases).

My left hand reached for a Walther, my right pulled out the Desert Eagle as I eyed the PT boat sidling up to the side of the ship.

A torpedo boat, an aging one at that, with four torpedo launchers still mounted to its deck. A part of me wondered if the pirate captain kept them for show if they were actually loaded. I backed up slightly as Dutch walked back along the deck towards the captured crew, making sure I could see at least one launcher and the top of the giant's head as the boat's engines roared to life.

"Now listen up gentlemen!" Dutch's voice rose up over his vessel's engines. "We're gonna disappear, and then you'll _all_ be free to go. But I'm warning you, the deal's off if anyone decides to come after us. What you see there," he indicated to the boat's main weapons, "Is a torpedo launcher. If you don't want to float home on what's left of your ship, I suggest you stay put for the next half hour…"

I grinned as I slowly raised the Eagle, feeling the weight push my hand slightly into the arm brace. It might have been a bluff of course. All you could see were the launchers themselves. They could have been empty for all I knew. But sometimes it was worth taking a chance of giving away your position, a thrill if you would at seeing how your target would react.

With that thought, I pulled back the trigger, and let the chaos begin.

As I hoped, sound of the gunshot was quickly hidden as the forward starboard launcher erupted into a burning ball of fire and shrapnel, the PT boat itself lurching violently from the explosion and smashing itself into the side of our ship with a splintering crack.

You just had to love .50 Action Express calibre. Just under thirty-five bucks a box, and oh so worth it.

"What the fuck just happened!" Dutch shielded his sunglass covered eyes as a second torpedo detonated from the heat of its neighbour, "Shit! Benny, you alright? Benny! Ben-"

I felt a pang of regret as a second shot from the Eagle sliced through the back of the giant's skull, his head snapping forward as his huge body fell against the railing, framed beautifully by the rising black smoke of his sinking vessel. I hated wasting 50AE rounds on exposed flesh, they were so damn expensive and I only kept one spare magazine for the eagle on me, but it was a damn lot quicker then raising the Walther to do the same job. Speaking of which….

"DUTCH!"

The woman's scream brought my attention and the P88 to the last of the pirate crew, several shots creating space between her and the businessman before she got any blood drenched ideas.

Her face contorted into a look of rage and wildness, her teeth bared with eyes wide and insane as she turned her guns on me. Sparks flew from where her bullets hit the hatch as I took cover behind the bulkhead, another three shots from my Walther keeping her away from the stairwell as I replaced the Eagle with my usual second sidearm. She kept firing until her pistols ran dry, alarm briefly crossing her face as sparks flew from a shot barely an inch from her boots. With an angry hiss through her teeth like a wildcat, she took off down the length of the ship, darting between the various crates that had been stacked there to prevent me from getting a clear shot. No doubt she was planning to hide and reload and then come back again full force.

I scowled darkly as I let the empty magazine fall to the ground with a clatter. I'd pick it up later once I'd finished up here.

By the time I'd reached the deck, I had two fully loaded P88s in my hands. The crewmembers of the ship were gradually getting back on their feet, but the businessman was still leaning heavily against the railings, looking fairly close to wetting himself, if he hadn't done so already. Over the side, the remains of the PT boat were sinking below the waves, the lapping ocean quickly dousing the flames and insuring the last two torpedoes didn't do any more damage. I briefly wondered if the Benny guy Dutch had called out for had managed to escape the boat somehow, but with half the craft torn to pieces and the rest quickly going under, I didn't think it was likely. If he was lucky the torpedoes might have made it a quick death.

As I approached the fallen body of Dutch, I noticed the businessman slowly approach, his eyes wary as I looked the body over.

"Glad I came along, Mr. Businessman?"

"It's Okajima," despite the sickly sound of his voice, I smirked slightly at the note of exasperation, "and yeah, I kinda am. What about the Chinese woman though?"

"All in good time," temporarily holstering one of my pistols, I hooked an interesting looking piece of technology from Dutch's ear, cleaning it on the edge of his jacket, "She can only run so far before she runs out of ship. Besides, did you see the look in her eye before she took off? She doesn't seem to be the kind of fighter to stay out of sight for long. Get the crew back to the Bridge, we should probably get moving as soon as possible." I set the piece into my ear before fishing the disk from the former Captain's jacket, "I'm also going to keep a hold of this," I held up the disk for emphasis, "It's probably going to be a lot safer with me then it was with you."

"Right," Okajima seemed resigned as I stood up and turned my shaded gaze towards the bow of the ship, "So…where are you going?"

I smirked as I raised my weapons and began to walk.

"Hunting."

* * *

"_Benny! Benny you still alive! Fuck…"_

I smiled slightly as I took slow deliberate steps down into the cavernous cargo bay, the sound of my target's frantic monologue almost causing me to pity her.

The woman was trapped like a rat in a cage. Her comrades were dead, she had been put on the run, and she probably had no idea what to do next.

Like I said, it was almost sad….almost.

I moved quietly, with no hurry. I could hear a faint thudding underlying the woman's voice every time she tried to call for help, giving the impression she was running. Of course, this could mean she was running away from me; trying to buy time or even find a defendable position or running towards me; intent on taking me head on. Either way, I kept my slow pace, checking the narrow passages created by the myriad crates that had been stacked across the deck, my head twitching towards the slightest sound.

"_Shit! How the fuck did we screw this up so badly?"_ there was a heavy clanging to the thuds as my target continued to swear up a storm. _"Sis really dropped the fucking ball on this one! Who the hell was that suit anyway!"_

The accent was American I realised, somewhere from the east coast. So, a Chinese American perhaps? Interesting.

I came to the bow of the boat. I hadn't seen the woman anywhere, not that this meant I was at the end of the trail. Before me lay the forward entry hatch, a metal stairway leading down into the cavernous ship's cargo bay, currently set out as a maze of narrow passageways and perfect vantage points for traps and sabotage. It didn't surprise me my target had ran down here. Perhaps she wasn't the bimbo her chest size implied her to be.

"_Peh, let the limpdick try and catch me,"_ I smiled slightly as I slowly edged my way down the stairs, pistols forward, _"This hunk of metal's gonna be a corpse filled shipwreck by the time I'm done with it…"_

"Quite the tongue you've got on you," I spoke aloud as I reached the bottom of the stairs, pausing to push my shades down my nose with my little finger. "I'm surprised no one's tried to cut it away from you."

The sudden silence on the other end of the headset gave me time to take in my surroundings. Massive steel crates were piled high across the area, some stacks reaching up the ceiling, all lit by row upon row of bar lamps, a few flickering, several more gone out completely and creating patches of darkness in a maze of steel. In all honesty, a place like this is the worst kind of battlefield for a one on one. There were too many places to hide, and a stalemate wasn't an option here. That was why I needed to keep her talking, to listen for the echoes within the cargo bay.

"_You cocksucking son-of-a…You're using Dutch's earpiece aren't you!"_

"So there's more then just air in your head," I smiled slightly as I headed into the maze. "Certainty makes _my_ job more interesting."

"_Just who the fuck are you, Mr. Suit!"_ Straight into introductions. _"You've got some nerve, busting up the Lagoon and my boss like that. So who are you anyway? Tell me quick, so I know what to put on your tombstone."_

"Laguna."

There was a pause as I rounded a corner.

"_That's it?"_

"That's all I'm giving you."

"_Whatever, it'll work,"_ the woman chuckled. _"Here lies Laguna, cocksucker extraordinaire. Guess you're not from around here. You'd know better then to fuck with me otherwise."_

"I'll admit, the face rings a bell. You ever run in Esperanza?"

"_That prettied up shithole? You come from _there?_" _I heard a hollow laugh from across the bay. I changed direction. "_Oh boy, and here I was thinking I was in for a major shitfest! I thought you were CIA or Men in Black or something. Guess that explains the lack of morals…"_

"What makes you think I don't have morals?"

"_You shot Dutch in the back of the head Mr. Suit. Minute I saw that getup I thought you might just be hanging around with less honourable cocksuckers. You just look like the kinda guy that shoots people in the face and throws down gauntlets to those that fuck with ya."_

"What's the point in that?" her voice was getting louder now, closer to the volume I was getting through the earpiece. "If you shout out to a target, you're just giving away your position. You should always use everything you can to get ahead in this life."

"_Not a bad way to live. I might've liked you if you hadn't offed two thirds of my crewmates."_

"It was nothing personal," I was close now, near the centre of the cargo bay. Here the arena was a little wider, but every crate had had its doors opened wide, showing only darkness within. She could have been in anyone of them. "I have my job, and you have yours. It's just business."

"_I guess it is."_

I had time to see the briefest of flashes, a maniacal grin briefly lit up from the darkness of the crate before me, before the bullet hit its mark against my chest. It was almost like my body was on automatic; every limb just went dead, my pistols falling to the ground with a clatter the dull thud of my form hitting the metal deck echoing across the bay as a dust cloud rose up from the impact.

"D-Dammit…" I curled up painfully, one hand covering the impact sight as combat boots landed before me, "You…fucking bitch…"

"You didn't really think you stood a chance, did you Mr. Suit?" I bit down on a sarcastic remark as she approached, kicking the nearest Walther away as I reached for it, "If your as deep into our business as your talk says you are, I'm sure you've heard of me. I've been around. New York's got quite a few stories about me if you know where to look," I grimaced as I was roughly rolled over, a short grunt escaping my lips as she slammed a boot against my already painful chest, that same insane grin etched across her face as she lowered her gun to my forehead, "Ever heard of Two-Hands? Revy maybe? That would be me."

I smiled weakly, my shades askew on my face, "Arrogant little bitch aren't you? So you fight with two guns, you and every wannabe action hero whose watched too many Hollywood flicks…"

"But this ain't Hollywood Mr. Suit," Revy pressed down harder as she half crouched on my chest, pressing a pistol barrel hard against my head, "This is reality, and when you're up against me, your reality sucks ass. I'm not just good at what I do, you'll never go up against another one like me. Most likely because our little spat will end with a bullet through your skull." she cocked her head to one side, a cold smile crossing her face, "You know, I could just end it for you right here. It would be quick and painless…probably. Then again," she slowly stood up, one boot still firmly planted on my chest, "Don't think Benny went down quietly. A lot of wood to burn on that ship of ours, and Dutch…" she laughed, she actually laughed, "Well I don't know what it's like to have a Desert Eagle blow your brains out, but it can't have been pleasant. So maybe I'll let you bleed out for a while," I grunted painfully as she pushed down, "After that…well, this ship won't stand a chance. But I've got time, not much though. I'm kinda impatient. So I'd kinda appreciate if you'd bleed…a little…"

I smirked slightly as she gazed down at my chest, raising her boot incredulously. Even with her heavy footwear in the way, blood should have been seeping out across my shirt, life fading from my eyes. Instead, my suit stayed pristine, save for a tiny hole from where the bullet had entered.

"What the fu-" my target's vocal disbelief quickly turning into a agonising, gut-wrenching scream as I grabbed her calf and tensed my little finger, the hidden blade stashed in the arm brace slicing through skin and muscle with barely a whisper, "AGH! YOU FUCKING C-"

Any insult was quickly lost as I unloaded a bullet from my Desert Eagle into her shoulder, her guns clattering away as she stumbled back. Before she could recover I was back on my feet, a metallic clang echoing around the cargo bay as I slammed her by the neck into a nearby crate, the barrel of the Eagle now pressed firmly into her jaw, her face inches from mine.

"Idiot. Never aim for the chest if you can't see what you're target's wearing," I pulled back the collar of my shirt slightly with the hammer of my gun, revealing the top of my armoured vest, "Top of the line, expensive, but light," I returned the gun to her jaw. "Better to aim for the head, pretty much a guaranteed death. I mean who wears a helmet outside the army any more?"

Revy didn't reply, she just made a wheezy gurgling sound, accompanied by a glare of insanity and hatred. Blood was oozing from her wounds, lines of red marring her pale skin and pooling in her boot. Yet still she glared.

"I suppose I could kill you now," I smiled at her over the rims of my shades, "It would be quick and painless…probably," she scowled darkly, "but that would mean wasting yet another of these bullets," I twisted the eagle against her skin, "So maybe I should just let you bleed out and save money. Unlike you, I can wait…"

"Mr. Laguna!"

I fought the urge to glare at Okajima as he rounded the crates, a sheen of sweat across his forehead as he lent up against the metal.

"We've got a problem," he breath was wheezing, "A big one."

"Then spit it out. I'm busy."

"It's the rudder."

I locked eyes with Revy, her smile dark, "Just to make sure…you didn't get anywhere fast…Mr. Suit."

My eyes narrowed to slits, as I glanced at Okajima. Despite the businessman slowly realising exactly what was going on in the scene before him, he nodded slowly.

"We've had to reduce our speed. It doesn't look good. We have to find a port to stop over and make repairs."

"Oops. Guess we fucked up your boat a bit more then Dutchy wanted," Revy smirked. I resisted the urge to shoot her right there, "Course…there is a place nearby you could go. Not too far. That said, I'd bet good money…you'd last five minutes…no three." The smirk became a devilish grin as she took in my look, "Yeah, you know where I'm talking about. But that would take you right into the fucking lions' den wouldn't it? You don't stand a fucking chance against her."

I tensed as Okajima looked between me and Revy, his face betraying bewilderment, "Her? What's going on Mr. Laguna?"

I didn't reply. I just stared at Revy.

"I think it's time we concluded our business."

"'Bout fucking time," the young woman grunted, "You're smart to take me out now. After what you did, it's a bullet well spent."

I merely smiled, leaning back to arms length.

"Actually, I might need you alive."

"What the fuck are you-"

Her questions ended with her consciousness as the butt of the desert eagle smashed into the side of her head, her form crumpling onto my outstretched arm.

"What are you doing?" Okajima stared in disbelief as I gently lowered. "Why do we need her alive? What the fuck is going on?"

"Shut up and find me a first aid box," I stripped myself of my jacket and rolled up my sleeves. The last thing I needed was to get blood on my suit, "then get up to the Bridge, we need to make a detour."

"What detour?" the businessman stared at me in disbelief, "Where are we going?"

"The last place on Earth we should be heading to," I cast an irritated glare Okajima's way. "The city of immorality: Roanapur."

* * *

Background info:

Desert Eagle .50AE:

Laguna's pride and joy, setting him back just under £3000 dollars and according to him worth every cent. Despite this, this Mark XIX model in black chrome is used sparingly, for times when the regular Walther P88s just isn't enough to bring down a target. The lack of use can also been seen by the fact Laguna only carries a single replacement magazine for the Eagle on his person, whereas he carries two spare for each of the P88s. Most of the usage it gets is when armour penetration is required.

Arm Braces/Hidden Blades:  
Unlike other duel gunmen of Black Lagoon, Laguna wears arm braces that serve two purposes. The first and most obvious one is to brace his arms. To fire duel weapons accurately (sometimes referred to as Guns Akimbo) is difficult to put it mildly.

Laguna's arm braces reinforce the lower arm from the elbow down and extends to across the length of the palm, stopping just below the little finger. These braces allows Laguna to aim a pistol with greater accuracy without holding it with two hands.

The second function is the hidden blade encased in each brace. Used for when a silent kill is better than a noisy one, or for when a target is too close to be shot, the hidden blade is a actually more of a spike, around five inches long with a blade-like edges at it's tip to an inch down, and is deployed from a port below the wrist. Deployment is achieved by a small C-shaped lever that the little finger slips into when needed so as to not be accidentally activated while firing a pistol. By flicking the lever outward, the blade is deployed via spring. By pulling the lever towards the palm (usually by forming a fist), the spring is retracted, and the blade is retracted via gravity when Laguna raises his hand upward until it clicks back into place. Laguna's hidden blades were a gift to him from one of his first clients before he made Esperanza his home. They were later upgraded into the arm braces by Laguna himself when he first started using duel pistols.

Although I will admit Assassin's Creed did have a small part in the inspiration of Laguna's duel hidden blades, the weapon was actually first inspired by the British mystery series Jonathan Creek. In one episode, a device was shown that concealed a retractable spike under the arm, but was deployed via a button below the spike and had to be pushed back in itself (I think. It's been a while since I've seen the series). Assassin's Creed merely helped me work out how to deploy the blade.


	3. The City of Immorality

**#3**

**THE CITY OF IMMORALITY**

At the entrance to the Gulf, a Buddha statue once meant to brighten the world with the light of virtue…now sits decaying. Beyond its faded glory lies Roanapur: the city of immorality. From the overland entrance to the city, there's always a noose left hanging. Intended for…some unknown person. And what awaits _past_ the scenery, is the city of pleasure: Roanapur.

At least Esperanza tried to cover up its rotten core. Skyscrapers lined the outer ring of the Neuvo side like a multi-pronged crown, hiding the corruption and slums from the tourists and social workers. Roanapur was just like Esperanza's innards strewn across a larger area; mostly aging buildings, few of them clean, with only a few tall towers near the top of the hill upon which the city had been built, probably the newest buildings here (And even then that was probably the early seventies.)

And here I was, sailing right into the middle of it.

It was getting dark now, the sun slowly sinking towards the horizon. I sighed wearily as I slid the last cartridge into the magazine and closed my briefcase. This was supposed to have been easy money; protect the disk, kill anyone who tried to get it and maybe get it to Varenkov if I was lucky. As the cargo ship entered the harbour though, I had a feeling I'd be lucky if I got away with my life.

Just as Ninguna Esperanza was divided into three, Roanapur was also a city split between various factions of the criminal underworld. If I was lucky, the Colombian Cartel, Chinese Triads and Italian Mafia would leave us alone. But as I said, luck was hardly on my side today.

Right now my only concern was getting the ship as far away from this shit-hole as quickly as possible, and staying out of Hotel Moscow's way in the meantime.

"_Mr. Laguna? Could you come to the Bridge…please?"_

I rolled my eyes at Okajima's timid voice, before slotting the magazine back amongst its brethren and picking up my jacket on the way out of my quarters. I patted the chest pocket; the disk was still there, right next to my shades.

* * *

"How's Two-Hands?"

Okajima glanced up from the window as I entered the Bridge before glancing back to the pirate on the make-shift bed, "Alive, but still out of it. She's lost a lot of blood. Honestly, I'm surprised she's even alive."

I followed his gaze to Revy. Heavy bandages now covered her wounds and the welt that had formed under her hairline, her hands and feet bound in rope just in case she woke up with a taste for blood. Every so often her face twitched, as though she was having troubled dreams. She looked…peaceful however. I might have even called her cute, had I not thought she would probably castrate me with her bare hands if she ever found out.

"Is it really okay for her to be up here?"

"She's bound, wounded, and her guns are three decks below," I turned my gaze on the businessman. "Not that it matters. It's not you she'll go after if she wakes up."

"Right," Okajima didn't look convinced of that, "We're coming into port now, but it's getting late and the Captain said it'll take time to get the parts and repairs done."

"Great."

"I still don't understand why you didn't kill her," I gave him a look. "Not that I'm into bloodshed or anything but…well…you killed the other guy and blew up their boat…"

"That was before I knew I was going to Roanapur." I turned my gaze to the city lights before us. "I don't know how much you know about it, but to call it a shit hole would be being nice about it," I glanced at Okajima. "It's also the closest shit hole to where we were attacked, which makes me think this is where Two-Hands and those other two bodies made their port. That means that whoever wants your disk might have came from here too."

I watched as the businessman paled slightly, realisation crossing his face. Of course, I wasn't about to tell him I actually knew who was after his disk. That alone might raise suspicion.

"You need information, right? On the people who what the disk. That's why you let her live."

Sure, why not?

I didn't confirm or deny his theory. I merely turned my gaze back to the city as the engines below died.

"I'm going ashore. I have some calls to make," Okajima quirked an eyebrow as I turned to Revy. "I'll take Two-Hands to a doctor while I'm there. I'm also taking the disk with me, it'll be safer with me. In the meantime, you stay here and make sure repairs go smoothly."

"Me? Why me?"

"You're a businessman right?" I smirked over my shoulder, fishing my sunglasses from my pocket. "So make some business."

* * *

"Shit. What did Two-Hands do to herself this time?"

I folded my arms across my chest, watching as the doctor circled Revy's prone form, lolled out across the shopping trolley I'd found discarded at the docks.

He was an aging man, with more lines running along his face and arms then a London roadmap and a thin band of hair around the back of his head. The dockworkers said no one was better at fixing up people then this guy, but taking in the frail form, whose Hawaiian shirt seemed to be draped on him rather then worn, I couldn't help but wonder if he simply was the best you could afford on a dockworkers' salary.

The 'clinic' wasn't much better. It was clean, to be sure, but even I could pick out the faint smears where blood had once been splattered. Clearly this wasn't just a place of healing.

"I take it you've already met your patient before?"

"A couple of times," the doctor shrugged, "Not often I get someone from Lagoon Company though, they're usually good enough to get the job done with minimum blood loss…" he gave me an almost toothless grin, "…on their side. No, usually it's nothing major with that lot. Bullet grazes, knife wounds, that sort of thing. Why is she tied up?"

"So she doesn't squirm. Can you patch her up?"

"Shouldn't be too hard. First glance says the knife wound's clean and looks like the bullet went all the way through. She's just lucky her shoulder didn't explode. She's gonna be hobbling about for a while though, and I don't know if her left arm will ever be the same again," he made a clicking sound with his remaining teeth. "She won't like that."

"How long will it take?"

"Not long. Maybe an hour. Just got to change her bandages and make sure nothing's too broken."

"Good. I'll be outside, I have some calls to make."

"Hey, is Dutchy gonna be paying for this?" I paused in the doorway. The Doctor's voice sounded irritated, "Or should I add this to the tab?"

I briefly considered telling him 'Dutchy' was dead, but thought better of it.

"I'll pay for this, providing you do a good job."  
"I _always_ do a good job!"

I merely smiled.

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

* * *

On ring…two rings…five rings…

I waited patiently, ear to my cell phone, a heavy scowl etched into my face as I leant against the clinic's wall, feeling the cool of the night against my bare face.

A part of me was picking out the shady looks passers-by were giving me. This was taking too long.

Seven rings…ten rings…click.

"_Smirnov Trading Company."_

"It's Laguna," I didn't have time to deal with the Bratva's front mooks, "Get me Varenkov, it's important."

There was a short pause.

"_He can't talk right now. Mr. Varenkov is a very busy man."_

"Of course he is," I rolled my eyes, already half-expecting this. The leaders of Esperanza's factions rarely dealt with me face to face unless it was something important, like the Chekov incident. It didn't surprise me that the man who hired me wasn't that interested in talking with me unless the words out of my mouth were 'The job's done.'

"Can you give him a message then?" With my luck, Varenkov was probably in the same room, "Tell him I've run into problems, and I'm currently in Roanapur. Oh, and tell him Balalaika is only a stone's throw away."

I hung up before the mook could reply.

There was a pause. I counted to three.

One…two…three…

The cell phone chirped urgently in my ear. I smiled to myself as I pressed it's green button.

"Laguna."

"_Laguna, my friend,"_ my smile grew as Varenkov's deep voice rumbled through the receiver, the apparently warm tone edged with steel, _"I'm sorry for the delay. I hear you've had…complications."_

"The ship was attacked by pirates, nothing too serious," the sarcasm was practically dripping from my voice, "The rudder got screwed up though. We've had to stop in Roanapur to make repairs."

"_And…the disk?"_

"I have it," I ran a finger along my chest pocket, just to make sure, "But I'm not going anywhere quickly. The Captain didn't know how long it would take to repair the ship. Might be a day, could be a week if he can't find the parts. The way I see it, you've got three options. You can either wait for the ship to be repaired and risk loosing the disk in the meantime, send a plane or something and get me the hell out of here, or I can destroy the disk and make my own way back. You're choice."

There was another pause on the line.

"_It appears this job was more precarious then I intended. I apologise my friend,"_ I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again at the feigned sympathy, _"I will send you transport, no charge. With luck, it should be there by tomorrow morning. I will send word when I've sorted all the details out."_

So, the disk was important to him too, even if he didn't know what was on it.

"I'll be waiting. Not much else I can do."

Varenkov merely chuckled, _"__Goodbye, my friend.__"_

I snapped the phone closed the minute I heard the dial tone. So, I was going to be stuck here a while, and in the meantime I had to make sure the disk stayed intact _and_ Okajima didn't get suspicious of me. Throw in Hotel Moscow and I got the feeling today and tomorrow weren't going to be the easiest of days.

I needed more information.

I dialled the number.

There was a low buzz.

One ring…two…three…click…silence.

"It's me. You there Arc?"

"_But of course,"_ even through the synthesized voice, I could sense that constant smugness that radiated from my friend, _"And how are we Richie-boy? Staying out of trouble I hope."_

I smiled slightly, despite myself. Arc was a comrade I'd made during the Chekov incident, one of the few people I actually trusted not to stab me in the back. Before she'd left, she'd pressed the number into my hand and kissed me swiftly on the cheek.

"Just in case," she'd said with a wink, "You ever need anything…"

Well, I needed something now. Seemed a good idea to use those contacts she'd bragged about.

"What's with the robot?" I quirked an eyebrow, ignoring her teasing, "I know it's you."

"_Never know who might be listening. Can never be too careful."_

"Of course," it kind of made sense. I never actually figured out who Arc worked for. If she was working so hard to cover her tracks, maybe it was better I didn't figure it out. "I need your help. Information," I glanced up and down the empty street, before lowering my voice, "What do you know about Hotel Moscow?"

"_Hotel Moscow?"_ despite the synthesiser, I swore Arc sounded uneasy, _"It's a branch of the Russian Mafia, but they operate out of Roanapur…"_

"I'm _in_ Roanapur."

There was a pause.

"_Oh. Guess that explains the interest."_

"So what can you tell me?"

"_Nothing over the phone. I…no wait. Why are you in Roanapur? That's a bit out of your way for a clean up job."_

"The money was good," I rolled my eyes again, "Why can't you tell me anything now?"

"_You don't know Hotel Moscow Richie. You don't screw with them unless you've got a death wish, and I kinda like you alive and your suit blood-free."_

"So glad the cleanliness of my suit is right up there with my well-being."

"_You know what I mean. Look…I know someone in Roanapur. I can set up a meeting for you. Some seedy bar or something, you know…your usual hangout for these kind of things."_

"Low blow. Does this contact have a name?"

"_Don't worry, she'll know you when she sees you. You still wear black right?"_

I didn't reply. I didn't have time to. For at that moment, an unholy screech shattered the peace of the night:

"SHIT! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME YOU PERVERTED OLD FUCKER!"

* * *

"Well Kageyama, as resource investigation division manager how do you explain this?"

Kageyama closed his eyes, collecting his thoughts. The board of directors before him needed answers. He knew the answers he had were…far from satisfactory.

"Regarding the case we've recently been informed of, let me explain the situation to you in greater detail.

"Today at approximately four pm, we received word from Rokuro Okajima, our representative who was transferring our disk to Borneo, that his ship was attacked by pirates earlier this afternoon. While Mr. Laguna, Mr. Okajima's hired bodyguard, managed to take care of the pirate matter, the cargo ship was damaged and the ship was forced to make port in a local city."

"So, the transfer is going to be delayed," one of the directors shrugged. "I don't see why it was necessary to call this meeting if this is all…"

"There are…other complications," Kageyama frowned uncomfortably, "The first, is that the ship was forced to make port in the city of Roanapur."

A silence came over the board room. All seated at the table had heard of the city of immorality, and all had at least the basic knowledge to stay clear of it.

"And the other complication?"

"Mr. Laguna himself," Kageyama set a profile down on the table. "We were lied too, plain and simple. While we were aware that Mr. Laguna wasn't a…conventional bodyguard, we were unaware of his exact background. The fact he came recommended by one of our largest benefactors is even more disturbing."

"So…who is he?"

"An assassin. He usually works in the city of Esperanza, another corrupted blight on the Earth. For him to work beyond that island is unusual, which is why we were unaware of how…unconventional he actually is. It took some digging on our part, but we have discovered he has known ties to both the Italian and Russian Mafia, as well as the local Colombian Cartel and Esperanza's own government. Which brings us to our third complication; he is currently in procession of the disk."

Another uncomfortable silence.

"As you can imagine, with the information on that disk, Mr. Laguna could fetch a high price with any of his contacts."

One of the directors leant back in his chair, his fingers steeped. "Was either Okajima or Laguna aware of what was on that disk?"

"Mr. Okajima was not made aware of the disk's content, he's not that high up in our company. Mr. Laguna was just hired help. Unless he discovered the disk's content from another source, he should be as in the dark as everyone else who isn't in this room."

"And yet he has the disk," the Director frowned. "That alone tells us he knows there's something important on it. If he or any of his contacts found out, it would lead to the worst scandal in Asahi Industries history."

"There is some good news to this however," Kageyama smiled slightly. "Mr. Laguna is only an assassin, not a computer hacker, and even if he was, I'm sure he would not have the technology required to break the encryptions we placed on the disk. In addition, Mr. Laguna's contacts are solely within the boundaries of Esperanza, meaning he will have to leave Roanapur to make a sale…"

"That's assuming he won't go to any local gangs."

"It's an assumption we will have to make, and merely means that we must move quickly in order to retrieve the disk," Kageyama's smile became dark, almost menacing. "We must retrieve what is ours at all cost before Mr. Laguna has a chance to put it into the hands of those that could damage our company."

"Before he sells it? But how?"

One of the board members coughed. He knew the implication behind Kageyama's words, "I understand. The Board will leave this in _your_ hands, Kageyama. Choosing what actions to take will also be your responsibility."

"But what of Okajima?" Another portly director cast an uneasy glance across the table. "What will happen to him?"

Kageyama shook his head, "It's unfortunate, but we can't afford any more delays. Asahi is in crisis. It will be easier for all if there were no other…complications."

* * *

"It's confirmed. The cargo ship that made port a few hours ago is the _Melanesia._ According to the dock workers, the crew needs emergency repairs to the rudder and engines. There's also a large burn mark on one side of the hull, but nothing that can't be fixed in a proper dock…if they ever reach a proper port."

"So, Dutch failed. I must admit I'm surprised. He usually does such good work. Any sign of Lagoon Company?"

"Yes. Two-Hands came ashore with a man in a black suit, apparently unconscious and bound. She was bandaged up, but no one wanted to inquire."

"I take it no one knew who this man was?"

"Definitely not from around here. No one on the docks recognised him. Caucasian, light skin, brown hair, mid to late twenties. The only reason he stuck out aside from being with Two-Hands was because he wore a black suit and sunglasses."  
"A man in black. Interesting. And he's definitely not the transporter of the disk?"

"No. Our sources confirmed that man would be of Japanese decent, just as we told Lagoon Company."

"And did you find out anything about the disk?"

"We don't know if it's on the ship, or if the man in black has it on his person. Should we bring this man in?"

"No. not yet. I want to know who he is, and where he came from. We also need to know the location of the disk. If we get into a firefight, I don't want to find it in the same pocket as the bullet that killed him."

"As you wish, Kaptain."

* * *

"YOU JUST CAN'T RESIST IT, CAN YOU, YOU DUMB FUCK! I SWEAR IF YOU WEREN'T SO FUCKING CHEAP!"

I cocked an eyebrow as I returned to the surgery, the hand tense around the grip of a P88 slacking slightly as I took in the scene before me.

Revy sat up in the corner of the room, hands unbound, one arm in a sling while the other covered her chest and wearing a look that could kill angels. The doctor on the other hand was lying sprawled against the opposite wall like rag doll thrown by a bratty child, clearly unconscious, a drooling grin etched onto his wrinkled face.

It didn't take me long to figure out what happened.

This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted a good job.

"You!"

The hand tensed around the weapon as Revy turned her glare on me, her free hand balled into a fist. I had no doubt if she wasn't still bound by the feet and had one arm slung to her stomach, she'd probably have tried to get her hands around my neck from the moment she'd lain eyes on me. Of course she'd be dead by the time she got halfway across the room, but that was hardly the point. Just to be safe though, I aimed the P88 in her direction, the sights lined up with her head.

"Easy now. I've got enough trouble to deal with right now…"  
"Damn fucking straight!" her form was hunched, as though she was ready to pounce. "Should've killed me while you had the chance Mr. Suit. You think you're day was fucked up before, I'm gonna cut you up so bad…" she reached for her guns…only to find air where her weapons and holster should be. She smiled darkly. "So you're not as stupid as the shades make you look. Good for you. You get to live a little longer."

"I'd of thought you'd be a bit more appreciative. I let you live, bandaged you up, Hell I even took you to a doctor so you might be able to keep the Two-Hands moniker of yours. I might even pay your medical bills if you didn't kill you doctor."

"So what? Am I supposed to be at your beck and call now or something? Fuck off," she slumped back against the wall, the fight not leaving her eyes. "So you let me live, big fucking whoop. You killed my employer, so now I'm outta a job. Then you take me to this pervert so I wake up with his hands up my shirt. You're not exactly doing yourself any favours."

"It was just business. They knew the risks when they first set sail, as do you."

"Business my ass," Revy's voice had taken that dark tone again, the same that had laced her voice was she spoke of kneecapping Okajima, "This was supposed to be a simple job. Raid the ship, get the disk, dump it Balalaika's lap and then get shitfaced down at the Yellow Flag. Instead, _you_ turn up, blow the _Lagoon _and Benny to high heaven and back, give Dutch the biggest fucking headache of his life, and slice and dice me like a fucking fish fillet! Knew the risk. Don't make me laugh. This job had no risk to know."

"It was just business."

She rolled her eyes at the repeated statement, "Sure. Whatever. I'm still gonna kill you though. Don't turn your back on me. It'll be the last thing you ever do."

I wondered if she realised she was looking down the barrel of a Walther P88 as she spoke those words, but I paid it no mind.

"It was just business, and you know that," her eyes widened. "You're trying to act all high and vengeful because they were your shipmates, but the fact of the matter is if the roles were reversed you'd of done exactly the same thing…"

"Shut up!" she bared her teeth, like a cornered animal, "You don't know me. You don't know _FUCK_ about me!"

"Please. Don't kid yourself. You're not that complicated. What, do you honestly think you'd have done anything differently? You _know_ if it had been you up on the Bridge you'd of taken that shots. And that pisses you off."

"What pisses me off if that you were on the fucking boat in the first place," her voice was quiet, yet still rang with deadly intent, "What pisses me off is that Dutch and Benny are dead and I'm still alive. The fact you've got such a big fucking trap isn't exactly a high point either, but yeah, you're right," she shrugged casually, the anger leaving her eyes, "If it had been me, and Dutch and Benny were just anther set of obstacles between me and my paycheque…they wouldn't stand a chance. Fuckin' A. But they weren't in the way of _my_ paycheque, the were in the way of yours. And I didn't pull the trigger, you did. I'm not normally into vengeance and all that shit, but I had a decent thing going on, then you came along and fucked it up. Doesn't matter which way you rationalise it, if you don't kill me now, the first chance I get…you're dead."

I didn't think for a second she wasn't serious. She just stared at me with an eerie calm, the silence that fell over the room broken only by the burbles of the doctor in the corner.

Then…my phone rang.

I didn't take my eyes off Revy as I fished the cell from my pocket. Something told me it was the wisest thing to do right now.

"Laguna."

"_You ready for a hot date tonight?"_

There was something creepy about the way Arc's flat, synthesized voice conveyed the statement.

"Depends. Whose going to be there?"

"_The contact I mentioned earlier. She'll meet you at the Yellow Flag at 2100...roughly."_

My eyes flicked up to the nearby clock then back to Revy. I had an hour to kill.

"Alright, I'll be there."

"_Good. She knows what to look for, so no need to worry."_

"Thanks, Arc."

"_Not a problem Richie-boy. Talk to you later."_

The phone clicked before I could reply. Slowly, I returned it to its pocket, my eyes still locked with Revy's.

"The Yellow Flag. You know it?"

"Maybe," Her voice still held that near-dead tone. "Why, you think I'll change my mind about you if you get me a drink or five?"

"No," I watched her flinch as I approached, the hidden blade under my free hand sliding out silently from its compartment, "I just need directions. If you want to hold off on killing me a few free drinks though, that would be good too."

The ropes around her legs fell to the ground as the tip of the blade cut through them with ease. I half expected her to lash out, now that all three of her working limbs were free (one of her arms was in a sling of course.). Instead she just stared at me, the dead look now replaced with one mixed with confusion and intrigue. Probably from the prospect of drink.

Her eyes darted between the gun and my face.

"How many free drinks we talking about here?"


	4. Triple Date

**#4**

**TRIPLE DATE**

The Yellow Flag, as I had expected, was like many of the bars that dotted Ninguna Esperanza. Dreary cheap paint, tinny music of some forgotten band playing the background, a large neon sign and crooks of all shapes of crime packed around large tables crammed into a single room, the large bar itself taking up most of the back wall. A few small groups were playing poker, a woman gave a high, fake laugh to the joke told by the man whose lap she was occupying, and sitting within hand's reach of all within was a pistol of some description, from the disgustingly cheap to the high end calibre.

I found it somewhat comforting it didn't matter if it was Esperanza, Roanapur or something hell hole on the edge of no where. A bar was a bar.

Silence met the opening of the door as I entered, all eyes taking in the Caucasian man in the black buttoned down suit, their suspicious gazes met with eyes of grey. Then they noticed Revy as she sauntered in behind me. A few rose their eyebrows at the sight of her bandages, but all went back to their various activities as she pushed by me and headed for the bar.

"Bao. Bacardi. Best you got. And leave the bottle, the Suit's paying."

The barman, a pencil-thin Vietnamese man with a permanent scowl etched into his face, merely nodded as he reached for one of the many bottles that lined the rear of the bar. By the time I reached the stools, Revy had already finished her first glass.

"Geez Revy, you look like shit," Bao leant up against his bar as I sat down, "What happened? Not like you to get yourself so fucked up…"

"Mind your own fucking business," I watched the woman's hand as it tensed around the glass, "We fucked up, that's all I'm saying."

"Huh," the barman looked uneasy, his eyes flicking in my direction, "So where's Dutch and Benny? Still patching up the _Lagoon_?"

"They're dead. The _Lagoon__'__s _driftwood and scrap metal at the bottom of the sea."

She said it so casually, she might have been giving the stunned man the time of day.

"No shit? Damn…" Bao shook his head, before turning his attention to me as I snatched the bottle out of Revy's reach and grabbed a glass from behind the bar. "So what's your story?"

I merely smiled as I poured myself a drink. I glanced at Revy, who merely shrugged, as if to say, 'Go ahead.'

"I'm the one that fucked them up."

"You what!" That made him stand up, his eyes wide. "But…you…and her…"

"Relax, I'll kill him later," Revy smirked as I passed her back the bottle, "I just want a drink, and he's offering to pay. Can't say no to that."

"But Revy!" Bao lowered his voice, as though he was afraid I'd react to his words, "You're drinking with the guy that killed Dutch _and_ blew up his boat!"

"This is Roanapur Bao," Revy rolled her eyes as though it was obvious. "Be honest, this can't be the most fucked up thing you've ever seen."

"Yeah, but Revy, this is pretty fucked up, even for this city! You're out of a job because of him!"

"Just because I killed her employer, doesn't mean I can't buy her a drink afterwards," I smirked, "Look up Christmas 1914 in the trenches, see where that gets you. Besides, you heard her. She'll try and kill me later."

Bao could only stare slack jawed as Revy smirked and clinked her glass against mine, before shaking his head in disbelief.

"You're just fucked up. _Both_ of you!"

I continued to smirk as I took another gulp of the amber liquid, relishing the burn as it slid down my throat.

"Don't drink too much," Revy cast me a sly look, "Get too pissed and you won't see me coming."

"I don't get drunk. Clouds the mind, kills brain cells," I swirled my drink, watching the liquid ripple to the edges of the glass. "Getting buzzed is fine by me. Don't worry. As long as you don't do what I did to Dutch, I'll see you coming a mile off."

"Don't worry yourself," the smile never left Revy's lips, "You don't deserve such a quick death. I'll make sure you go down nice and slow, maybe one limb at a time if I can manage it."

"Amen to that."

Bao only stared as the glasses clinked again, "You know, I don't think there _is_ a word to tell you how fucked up I think the both of you are."

I merely smiled again, before looking over at the clock on the wall. Ten past nine. She was late.

"Well, if it isn't Two-Hands."

The way Revy froze at the new condescending voice was priceless in itself. She just seemed to go rigid as the woman slumped down onto the stool beside me, a lopsided grin gracing her face as she sprawled out across the bar top beside me, pushing her already large chest upwards for greater emphasis, framed by a pistol under each arm.

"My, you're drinking the good stuff, are you?" the blonde leant her head against the counter was she watched Revy from behind pink-tinted shades, "What's going on? You finally cave on that S & M job Rowan's been bugging you about? Might explain the damage you did to yourself…"

"Eda…" the name came out with venom, a dark glare sent the woman's way as she subconsciously hid her own chest behind her free arm, "What the fuck?"

"Oh, I see. You've got a Romeo with you," I felt a finger start to trace patterns along my leg as I reached for Revy's bottle for a top-up, "Hi there, how you doing? Why don't you ditch this wild bore and come drink with a real woman, baby?"

Revy rolled her eyes, self-consciousness forgotten as she snatched the bottle back, "I know your night's not complete until you get banged by a total stranger, but fuck off."

"Relax Two-Hands, I'm not going anywhere," I smirked slightly, "Besides, plastic doesn't do anything for me."

"Hey! Cheap shot!" Revy cackled madly as Eda scowled indecently, groping her chest for emphasis, "These babies are one hundred percent natural, you go that!" the sly smile suddenly returned, "Why don't we go out back, and I can show you personally?"

"Why don't we just cut the crap and get down to the point?" I glared down at her, my irritation growing slightly when she didn't even flinch, "Are you the contact Arc sent to meet me?"

"That would be me," Eda sighed, pushing herself up onto her elbows, "She said you'd be no fun. All stuffy and uptight. And aren't you supposed to be wearing shades or something?"

"What idiot wears sunglasses at night?" I went back to my drink, slapping her hand away from my leg, "It's hard enough to see in the dark as it is."

Eda shrugged, "It looks cool. Anyway, you wanted information right? On Hotel Moscow?"

"That's right."

"Wait, your paying this skank for info on Sis and her gang?" Revy stared at me incredulously, "She's my fucking employer! Why didn't you ask me?"

"Well, if memory serves…You're trying to kill me."

She blinked several times, as though the realisation had only just sunk in, "Oh yeah. But why are you here Eda? Last I heard, the Rip-Off Church sold guns, not info…"

"Nah, this is a one-off for a friend of mine. It's basic information too, so it's not like I had to sleep with anyone to get it. Easy money if you ask me. So," Eda grinned at me, "What do you want to know about Hotel Moscow?"

I looked her in the eye, my face serious.

"Everything you do."

* * *

Rokuro sighed, a puff of cigarette smoke billowing out of his mouth along with it into the chilly night air.

It was getting late, and Laguna still hadn't returned from 'making a few calls', not even a brief message to the radio room telling them where he was, or what he was doing.

He'd called back home the moment Laguna had left of course, given all the details of what had happened and where the ship was currently docked, just as he had been told to do before he departed from Tokyo. They had told him to continue repairs and wait for further instructions. That had been a few hours ago, and here he was…waiting.

The Captain and the crew had turned in for the night. There was nothing for them to do, they'd said, They weren't getting paid enough to work through the night.

So here he was, alone in the quiet, with nothing but the smell of cigarette smoke…and the thrum of helicopter rotors.

Wait…

The businessman instinctively ducked as the attack chopper roared overhead, his knuckles white against the railing as he watched the aircraft streak towards the city. What was the pilot thinking, flying so close to water like that? He glared up angrily at the helicopter, watching as it circled the bay. The pilot was obviously looking for something, maybe a ship to land on for the night. But none of the vessels in Roanapur's port were large enough to support an aircraft of the helicopter's size…

That's when the gunship turned its nose towards him, its complex from briefly lit up against the night as a pair of missiles streaked away from the fuselage.

Every instinct of his being told him to jump. As he vaulted over the railing, the wall of heat that slammed into his back the missiles made their mark against the _Melanesia_ made him grateful he'd followed that instinct.

By the time he hit the water, the cargo ship was aflame as two more missiles impacted against the side of her hull, her crewmen trying to escape the burning vessel as it began to sink to the bottom of the bay.

In the water, Rokuro could only watch, mouth open in silent horror, as the gunship moved in, shells raining down as its machine guns lay waste to those that had survived the initial attack.

This wasn't a battle. It was a slaughter!

* * *

"So, they're _all _ex-military. Great," I rubbed my eyes painfully, "Ugh, why oh why does the Bratva take on these nut-jobs?"

"Because they're good at their jobs and the Union doesn't want them anymore," Eda shrugged as she took another mouthful of whatever it was Bao had put in front of her. "Apparently Balalaika was some big shot veteran from the conflict in Afghanistan. Everyone one of her men she controls now, she controlled then. They're undyingly loyal to her. I don't think even Chang can say that much for his guys," the blonde smirked, "If you want to get to her, you're going to have to get through a whole fucking army before you can put a bullet in her fried face!"

I smiled grimly, "I don't want to get to her, I want to get away from her as fast as humanly possible," I turned to Revy, "What about you Two-Hands? You got anything to say about this bitch?"

"Only if you don't give her that disk, it won't just be me that's after your ass."  
"Great," I sighed, retrieving the thing that was giving me so much trouble from my pocket. "Just what the hell's on this thing that's so damn important?"

"You got me," Revy stared at the disk as I twisted it between my fingers. "All I know is we were supposed to steal it and get it to Sis. Twenty grand on delivery."

"Twenty grand? Varenkov's going to pay me the same."

Revy cocked a eyebrow as Eda tried to snatch the disk out my hand for a closer look, "No shit? Wonder how much it's really worth."

"Maybe we should crack it open and find out," there was a hungry look in the blonde's eye I didn't like, "We've got some decryption junk up at the Church we were going to sell, that'll probably do the trick…"

"You do realise two factions of the Russian Mafia are trying to get their hands on this thing right?" I smirked darkly as I put the disk back in my pocket, "I don't care how rich this poor man's Frisbee might make me, not much use to me if I'm hanging from a bridge or have a bullet lodged in my brain. Besides, this is the property of a major industrial corporation. They're not just going to stick it in a zip file, slap a couple of passwords on it and hope for the best."

Eda cast me a sulky glance, "They might."

"Doubtful," I rolled my shoulders. I was tired, I just wanted to sleep. "Asahi is one of those high end multi-national corporations. They've probably got influence in all kinds of shit, some of it might not even be legal. If the Russians are after it, this disk might actually be something to do with that. If that's the case, I'm just glad I don't have Asahi to worry about. If they found out Okajima didn't have the disk, they'd probably send some of those seedier contacts my way…"

It was with these words that the three of us heard it; the soft clunks of grenades as they bounced along the wooden floor, their mechanisms clicking against the sides of their shells as they rolled to a stop.

For a moment, silence reigned. Even the tinny music seemed to have vanished from the atmosphere. I sighed as I pulled my P88s from their holsters, leaving my jacket buttoned up.

"Fuck."

As the trio of grenades detonated their payloads, I landed with a heavy thump on the other side of the bar, Revy not far behind as Eda made a dash for a nearby doorway. Glass shattered as patrons began to scream, the innards of the Yellow Flag filled with smoke and the debris of several large tables and chairs.

"Okay. Let's do it boys! Let's crash this party!"

The voice was faint, American, but the intention was clear. Soon bullets began to fly as the screams became bloodcurdling, barely heard above rattle of assault rifles and the dropping of shells.

"Of course that little bastard would call up his boss the moment I left him alone," I grunted irritably as I checked my pistols, "Not my day. _Really_ not my fucking day…"

"Oh quit your fucking whining," Revy leant up against the bar, casually finishing off the Bacardi as other brands and their bottles shattered above us, "What makes you think these guys are here for you anyway? Roanapur doesn't just revolve around you, you know."

"Call it assassin's intuition."

"Revy!" Bao slumped down beside Two-Hands, shotgun in hand, "If these assholes are your friends, then you better deal with them!"

"Not mine," the woman shrugged indifferently, "You know 'em, Mr. Suit?"

"Can't say I do," I smiled slightly as she offered me the last few gulps of Bacardi, "Hey Eda, you know these guys?"

"What?" A pistol was in the blonde's hands, a wince flashing across her face as a bullet splintered the wood of the door an inch from her face, "Can't hear you! What the fuck did you just say?"

"Not important."

"Hey Suit. Gimmie one of your guns."

I regarded her strangely as I finished off the bottle, "And why would I do that?"

She merely gave me a stare, "Because if I'm gonna kill you, I kinda need to be alive myself."

"And what's stopping you from shooting me right now?"

"You really think I'm gonna take you out here?"

"Near impossible odds? No hope of escape? Sounds like a pretty good time to find your peace if you ask me."

She scowled, "Shut up and give me a fucking gun."

I opened my mouth to reply, only to pause as I noticed how quiet it was. The bullets had stopped flying.

"Secure the building,"The voice was gruff, accompanying the sound of a dozen or so boots marching into the bar's remains, "I heard voices, and there's nothing I hate more then survivors!"

I glanced over the top of the bar. One man in particular stood framed in the remains of the doorway as the others fanned out; a tallish muscle head with dirty blond hair tied back, a rather unsettling grin plastered on his scarred face as he surveyed the damage from behind round sunglasses.

"Ohh, scary guy," I muttered with a smirk as I dropped back down, "He's wearing sunglasses and everything."

"Yeah, looks kinda dangerous," the sarcasm was practically dripping from Revy's hushed words. She hadn't even looked over the edge of the bar. "Maybe you should give me a gun, give us an extra killer on our side," she glanced at me as I gave her a pointed look, "I promise I won't kill you, how's that?"

"Even if I did believe you, I don't have one spare," the footsteps were getting closer now, "I like having both my guns in my hands, and I'm not giving you my eagle. That thing cost me three grand…"

It was then that something slid up against my shoe, the sound of footsteps dying in an instant as the two of us glanced down at the object.

Glock 17L.

I looked at Revy. She looked at me. We both looked at Eda.

The blonde shrugged, "Four gunmen _are_ better then one."

"Voices! Kill them all!"

I smirked as Eda ducked behind the door again as the bullets started to fly. Then I glanced at Revy, who stared expectantly at me. I sighed heavily.

"If you shoot me here, I swear I'm going to find a way to bring you down with me."

"Deal."

She picked up the pistol before it hit her thigh as I kicked it to her, a wild grin spreading across her face as she readied the weapon.

"You ready?"

"Oh yeah baby, lock and load."

"Good," I smiled, "EDA!"

"WHAT! AGH!" the blonde immediately pulled back as the bullets turned her way.

"Nothing, you're doing fine."

I jumped into the fray, one gunman not even having enough time to turn around at my entrance before he found a bullet from my right hand P88 lodged in his brain, another kicked to the ground as I landed, a shot between his eyes forever silencing him. Three, four, five, I mentally counted my shots as more men fell, the remains having the brains to turn their guns on me following the sixth shot. I quickly backed off as bullets snapped at my shoes, my back slamming into the wall next to Eda as a grenade almost took my entire foot with it.

"Hey! Don't come back here!" the blond glared at me as I adjusted my tie, "I don't wanna end up dead tonight!"

"Relax," I smirked as I picked off another two soldiers, "You've probably got enough plastic down there to soften up a fifty cal anyway. Two-Hands, get ready to bolt, I'll cover you."

"These things are real, jackass!" Eda bared her teeth as Revy merely grinned, "Home grown Alabama! Land of the fertile!"

"Fine, whatever. You got a car?"

"What the fuck do I need a car for! You think the church has its own parking lot or something?"

"I mean we need to get away from here as fast as possible," I glared at her, a grunt finding a single 9mm bullet in his throat as he tried to sneak up behind me, "So if you don't have wheels, go find some so we can get out of here!"

She blinked at me, her glasses slightly askew, before righting those shades and nodding as she bolted out the door.

I could only hope she had enough of a conscience not to run for her life.

"Two-Hands!" I removed the depleted magazine and replaced it in its pouch on my side, a fresh one making a satisfying click, "Let's get the fuck out of here!"

"Got it!"

As I drew fire away from her, Revy arched over the bar and landed perfectly on her uninjured leg, the Glock in her hand picking of three, five, seven different gunmen in a single pirouette on her heel before jumping back to use the jukebox as a shield, landing painfully on her wounded limb. It was almost…graceful. It might have even been beautiful if bodies weren't falling everywhere and she wasn't wearing that manic grin on her face.

But I paid it no mind. The left hand P88 belched metal as its brother burned through the last of its second magazine, one hand holstering the depleted weapon as I rounded the corner and grabbed Revy by the broken arm.

She hissed at the pain, but the grin never left her face, grunts still falling under her concentrated fire.

"You up for a bit of running?"

"You tell me, Mr. Suit," she gave me a sarcastic grin. "You're the one that sliced my leg open like Jason and his machete."

"Wiseass."

"Totally."

I rolled my eyes as I half threw her through the open doorway, putting myself between her and the bullets as I backed up towards the escape. She was hobbling down the corridor by the time I reached her, the bandages around her leg slowly dying themselves a dark crimson.

"Come on," I slung an arm under her armpits, ignoring her surprised glance as I pushed her forward, "We've got to keep moving."

"Why don't you just leave me?"

"Because I just wasted three magazines getting you out of there," I smirked, "It would be a waste of bullets if you didn't actually survive."

By the time we reached the door (the metal sheet filled with holes where the lock should have been), Eda was already pulling up in a navy blue Mercedes, the wheels unceremoniously rolling over the prone bodies before it as the driver threw the door open.

"Do I even want to know where you found this?"

"We'll say it fell off the back of a truck," the blonde scowled. "Now quit whining and get in!"

I didn't complain. I merely swung open the rear side door non-too gracefully dropped Revy onto the back seat, the young gunman letting loose a string of curses as I slammed the door shut, picking up a discarded AKS-74U carbine from one of the downed mercs and pulling myself into the passenger seat as Eda slammed on the accelerator. The car spun into motion as several more gun man poured out of the doorway onto the street.

I leaned out of the window, picked off one, two men, missing the third as he ducked back into the bar. Then Eda rounded a corner and we were out of range.

"Well…that was fun," I closed my eyes and leant back against the headrest, "You okay back there Two-Hands?"

"Aside from the fact I'm bleeding out by the leg, yeah I'm doing just great."

I glanced back. The bandages around her leg now sported a large red blotch on the cream fabric, her good hand rubbing her shoulder painfully, eyes closed as she tried to blot out the pain.

"You going to be okay?"

"For now. But fuck this hurts!"

"Just hang in there. We can't exactly go see the Doctor again at the moment."

"I'm fine too by the way," Eda sent a quick glare my way as I turned back to the front, "So who were those guys anyway? They weren't Hotel Moscow so…"

"Like I said before, I think Okajima must have sent word to his superiors. I'm guessing Asahi wants their disk back, so they sent someone after it," I glanced at the two women, "Unless you two did something to piss them off?"

"Not me," Eda shook her head.

"Me neither," Revy shrugged, "Oh, that reminds me, Bao wants to be paid for the damages. If you don't he'll hunt you down and weld your asshole shut and open a new one on your head."

"That's scary. I think I'm going to cry."

"So where too?" Eda glanced at me again, "We can only drive around for so long. Where do you want to go? The Church?"

"No, head for the docks. This fight was just the beginning, I need my briefcase."

"You sure that's wise?" Revy sniggered, "I mean they obviously know where you came from. Security might be tight."

"Oh yes," I smiled back at her faintly, "But think of the fun."

* * *

"Captain, eighteen dead, three wounded," Storm winced behind his glasses as he approached his superior, "I'm sorry sir, we thought he was just one guy. Apparently he had help. We…underestimated him."

"Well Storm, we're not dealing with some random amateurs here," the Captain smiled as he removed his shades, "We knew we were up against a professional assassin from the moment we took on this job. The fact he found some gun talent so quickly is pretty impressive though. The fact they scored quite a victory against us today proves that. In Liberia, all we had to shoot at were tired old men and little brats. Too slow and no fight left in 'em. But _these_ guys are full of energy, the smile turned into a maniacal grin. "I've been _watin__'_ for something like this."


	5. Bloody Interval

**#5**

**BLOODY INTERVAL**

"Please tell me my Cutlasses weren't over there."

"No. I don't like lying to people unnecessarily."

"Fuck."

The _Melanesia _was burning. Sitting in the centre of the bay, Eda, myself and Revy watched as it lit up the entire port like a floating bonfire. Already her bow was completely submerged, the cargo ship leaning at a steep incline into the water. I gave it an hour or two before it completely went under, then the scavengers of the city would swarm to it to grab what they could before someone had the sense to remove it from bottom of the bay.

And there, sitting on the edge of the dock before us, sat Okajima.

His clothes were soaked, shirt and tie clinging to his skinny frame, hair slicked back and smelling of sea salt, a hopeless look of disbelief on his face. I might have felt sorry for him, if he hadn't brought this on himself.

"All I told you to do was make sure repairs went smoothly," I sighed as I stepped forward, "Well, looks like you've got your work cut out for you, Mr. Businessman."

"I was just…following orders," Okajima shook his head miserably. "Why…why would they do this?"

"To stop Mr. Suit here from coming back, dipshit," Revy smirked. "It's obvious he'd try to come back here if he knew someone was after him."

"But…they murdered the crew, destroyed the ship…" Okajima shook his head, "They tried to kill me. It must be a mistake. They must've had the wrong ship," he glanced up at me, "This is Roanapur right? You said it was a shit hole, crime ridden. Maybe it was one of the local gangs who…"

"You said it was a gunship right?" I glanced at the woman, "Know anyone with the money to keep one of those and not let anyone know about it. Eda? Rip-Off Church keep a few of 'em under the altar?"

"Nah. Too expensive. Balalaika or Chang might be able to get one here for a day or two, But they're more for the up-close-and-personal approach. Costs less."

"So, it's a good bet the gunship and the assault team that took out the Yellow Flag are part of the same group," I looked down the dock, something silvery caught my eye. "Asahi is pretty well-to-do. Wouldn't surprise me if they supplied the tech for this operation."

"No," Okajima continued to shake his head as I walked down the planks to the end of the dock. "No, no, no. this can't be real…"

"It's real alright, and we're fucked if we don't figure out a plan of some kind. Too bad Dutch isn't here. He's good at this stuff," Revy sent a sly smile my way. "Too bad you shot him, right?"

Eda stared at her friend, "What! Dutch is dead!"

"Yep. Benny too, along with the _Lagoon_. All thanks to that fucker over there."

"But he was one of our best customers! Fuck!"

"If you want to kill me, get in line," I rolled my eyes as I bent down to the waterline. "Two-Hands wants first shot."

"It's not that, but…wait…" she glanced at Revy. "_You__'__re_ trying to kill him?"

"We've already been through this with Bao, Eda. Not gonna repeat it for your benefit."

"But…Ugh, whatever," the blonde rolled her eyes. Clearly she had stopped trying to figure Revy out a long time ago. "So what now? The boat's trashed, and those guys we left behind are probably on our heels…"

"Relax. You're with a church aren't you? Have a little faith," I smiled as my hand curled around a handle, "I have a good feeling luck is on our side."

"Oh yeah?" Revy regarded my quietly. "What makes you said that?"

I only smiled and pulled at the handle, the silvery form of my briefcase gushing out of the water with the sudden upward force, its silvery surface glittering in the flames of the _Melanesia._

Two-Hands shook her head in disbelief as Eda and Okajima's jaws hit the floor, "You gotta be fucking kidding me, you lucky bastard."

"Lucky for you too," I grinned as I set the case down on the dock, "Lucky I had the sense to put what was borrowed in a buoyant, waterproof box."

"What are you…"

Revy's voice died as I pulled something all too familiar to her off the top of my spare magazines and clips; a certain pair of Beretta M92F Customs, still nestled in their underarm holsters.

"They looked expensive, the guns alone must have set you back a couple of grand," I tossed the weapons back to their owner, her good hand catching them by the strap, "Didn't want one of the crew to get any ideas."

"Great. Two-Hands has her guns back, you've got extra ammo, and we've _still_ got a bunch of mercs on our tails," Eda sighed again. "So what do we do now?"

"Now…he dies."

I heard the click of a bullet slotting itself into the chamber above me, and even as I looked up, I knew what I was going to find.

Revy stood over me. Her face impassive and dead, the barrel of a Beretta bare inches from my skull. Behind her, Okajima sat frozen, a look of terror on his face at the thought of witnessing a murder so close. Eda just looked on uncomfortably.

I stood up slowly, "You really think this is the best time?"

"No time like the present, cocksucker," Revy smiled slightly. "Sure, we've had our fun, and the drinks weren't a bad bonus, but we knew from the start this was how it was gonna end."

"I see," I regarded her quietly, eyes locked with hers. "Eda, why don't you take Okajima back to the car and find something to do."

"Sure."

"Wait, what's going on?" the businessman looked nervously between Revy and me as Eda pulled him up by the arm and dragged him away. "What are they going to do? Are they…where is that hand going?"

The dock quickly fell into silence. It was just me and her, Revy and Laguna, with only the light of the _Melanesia _to comfort us.

"So, how do you want to do this?"

"I don't know yet," she took a step closer, tracing her pistol against my jaw. "I keeping thinking a bullet to the brain. I mean you did haul my ass out of the fire back there, so I guess you deserve some kind of reprieve. Then again, I'm not sure if Benny went out like a light or if it was a slow fiery burn for him, so maybe I should kneecap you and let you bleed out over that nice suit of yours for a while."

"Why not?" I shrugged indifferently, "I mean you already put a hole in my shirt. Why not my pants too?"

"Wiseass to the end, aren't you?" her voice was dead, her eyes more so as she tapped the edge of the gun against my cheek, "You know what? Fuck it. You get nice and quick. Must be your lucky day."

"Must be," I shrugged, "Might be yours too, if you keep me around a little while longer."

She faltered, "What do you mean?"

"You said you were gonna get twenty grand for the disk right? Twenty grand split three ways, probably less if Dutch deducted fuel expenses and what not. If you keep me around, I promise you you'll get ten grand at the least, twenty if I can manage it…"

"Empty promises," Revy tutted mockingly. "You can't promise me shit. You're just trying to buy yourself time. I let you go, you'll slither away and I'll never hear from you again. You talk too much Mr. Suit. To you, words are just another weapon. But your words are empty, just like that shit you were preaching back in the clinic. All that 'just business' Godfather crap. Well, guess what? I guess this is just business too. I'm making it my business to end your life, right here, right now."

"Then shoot me."

She blinked, "What."

"Why not? Why prolong it?" I watched her carefully, my voice gradually hardening. "If I can't say anything to dissuade you from a stupid act, what's the point in stretching this out? You think _I _talk too much? All I've heard from you recently is death threats and bitching. 'It's not just business, it's personal'. Cry me a fucking river. What about those guys back at the Yellow Flag, you don't think they want to fuck me up because I took out their team mates? What about you? How many people have you killed? How may of them were part of some squad, or crew or organisation? The way you talk, it's like you're the only one that's ever been fucked up like this…

"I'm warning you…" she took a step back, then another, her teeth bared, eyes wide and angry.

"What? You'll shoot me? Kneecap me? Make me bleed out all over the dock? Yeah, I'm _really_ gonna shut up on _that_ death threat. Hell, might as well keep talking if it'll get you to make up your fucking mind any quicker," A smile from me made her flinch. "A good gunman would have made a decision by now, but you don't know whether to pull the trigger or not. I wonder why that is?"

"I'm not scared of you."

"I never said you were. The offer's still on the table. You want it or not?"

She scowled at me, but the look had lost the feral animalistic nature it had had moments before. Finally, she lowered the gun.

"Ten grand minimum, twenty grand maximum?"

"If I can manage it. I'll even take it out of my personal account if I can't. Provided we're both still alive at the end of this, you'll have ten extra grand in your hands when we're done."

She paused again, before sighing and holstering the weapon.

"You better be straight up with me."

"I'm _always_ straight up with you," I smiled as I leaned down to shut and pick up the briefcase, "Have you forgotten already? I talk too much."

"Peh, ain't that the fucking truth," Revy rolled her eyes. "Just consider yourself lucky Suit. You've brought yourself time…again."

* * *

Eda squinted up at us as I opened the back door of the sedan, a pout crossing her lips as she took in the forms of me and Revy.

"You done already?"

"Yep," Revy shrugged as she took in the scene before her, "You two having fun?"

Okajima simply seemed have trouble gasping for air underneath the blonde, his face red and hot as he struggled to pull his pants back up.

"We weren't…she wasn't…"

"Just shut up and pull yourself together," I sighed as I slammed the door shut again and made my way round to the driver's seat, "We're not out of the shit yet."

Eda gave me a perplexed look as she sat up, before turning to Revy as she slumped into the front passenger seat, "So, you're not gonna do it?"

Two-Hands shrugged, "Not yet." She looked over to me. "So what's the plan?"

"Varenkov said he would send transport here by tomorrow morning. We need to lie low until then."

"Why don't we just go to Sis? Give her the disk, we get our money…"  
"Because Lagoon Company is essentially dead and I still have reputation in Esperanza to uphold," I gave her a pointed look, "If I don't get this disk to Varenkov, _You__'__ll_ be the least of my concerns."

Revy sniggered, "You just want to buy yourself more time in the land of the living."

"Well, that too."

I sighed as I pulled the disk from its pocket, gazing at my tired reflection on its shiny surface. I felt like shit. I just wanted to go home to my apartment in Esperanza's outer ring and sleep for eternity. A part of me thought the Chekov incident had been easier then this, but most of me knew that wasn't true. I was just feeling bitchy because I hadn't prepared myself. With the Chekov incident and every job before it, I at least understood what I was potentially up against. Here, I was running blind. I had no information on my enemy. I had no real target to kill. As I'd told the Ruskie on the beaches of Esperanza what felt like an eternity ago, this wasn't my line of work.

But I had to work. And work I did.

Eda, how good is your computer tech up at the church?"

"Not bad," the blonde shrugged as she lolled over Okajima, the businessman trying his hardest to force himself through the door's upholstery, "Not great either though…"

"Benny's techs better," Revy watched me curiously, "He was some kind of big shot hacker before he pissed off the mafia and the FBI. He kept most of it on the _Lagoon_ but there's still quite a bit left back at the office. Why, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we need more than a four door sedan if we're going to see morning," I put the disk back in my pocket, before leaning over to the passenger side of the car to jump-start the car, "That means we need insurance and a place to hide until morning. Which way to your office?"

* * *

"I don't understand why didn't let us attack them at the dock…sir." Storm said uneasily.

"Well, for starters, I wasn't there," the Captain grinned at his subordinate. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time Storm, and I wanna be there when the light leaves their eyes. Besides, you saw what happened back there," he jerked a thumb to the remains of the Yellow Flag, "After seeing that massacre, do you really think a couple of our guys would've been able to take 'em on by themselves?"

The soldier shifted uncomfortably, "No…but sir," he raised his voice as the thrum of helicopter blades began to resonate over the city, "Don't you think what you're planning is overkill?"

"Storm, in my book, there is no such thing as overkill," the Captain grinned as he watched the chopper descend onto the Main Street, "Now, is it loaded?"

Storm nodded as he checked his notepad, "Fully armed, Captain. Rockets _and_ machine guns. The more you shoot the more the invoice will be. The Japanese sure are generous."

"Well then, have our guys tail them and tell us where their heading," the Captain made his way towards the gunship, the lazy grin still plastered across his face. "And let's get this party started!"


	6. Walking In Death's Shadow

**#6**

**WALKING IN DEATH'S SHADOW**

Revy never liked silence. Silence meant one of two things: there was fuck all to do, or she was waiting for something to happen. If it was the latter, the remedy for such boredom was found in a walk around the city, probably ending up at the Yellow Flag, or in the worst cases a beer and one of Benny's old _special_ magazines. If it was the former, which was the norm when waiting for a job to come through, it meant a lot of laying around, Dutch forcing her to stay sober in case some major shit went down.

Unfortunately for her, today's silence was a bit of both.

Laguna had locked himself in Benny's room, telling her to watch the road until he finished…whatever the fuck it was he was doing in there. Eda had gone off to use the john and make a call to the Church to explain why she might not be back until morning. That left Mr. Japanese businessman on the couch, whimpering pathetically about the fate of his job while shooting nervous glances towards Benny's door and Revy herself sitting on the chair from the radio console, hidden from view and watching as the same three cars drove along the empty street below in different combinations.

It was obvious they were followed. Even the businessman knew that much. She could even see the pale faces of the mercs as they tried to inconspicuously see through the windows of the rooms below the office. Clearly there was a team who were better at shooting targets then spying on them.

"Are they still out there?"

Revy glanced at her current companion, before turning back to the window just in time to see the Honda flatbed turn the corner at the end of the street for the fifth time, "Yep."

"Oh." The businessman lowered his head again, before turning back to Benny's door. "So…what do you think Mr. Laguna is doing in there?"

"Don't know, don't care."

"Oh. So what about…"

"If you're trying to make conversation, shut it," he flinched at her harsh tone, her eyes never leaving the streets below. "If I remember right I was planning on kneecapping you this morning, so stop trying to make small talk. Otherwise I might still consider it."

The businessman frowned and the silence returned. At least for a moment.

"Why…Why _did_ you attack the _Melanesia_?"

Revy grunted as she glared at the businessman's reflection, "Why does anyone do anything around here? Money. Only twenty grand but better then sitting on my ass here all day."

"_Only_ twenty grand?"

"Split three ways, plus the usual expenses shit Dutch takes out of it. Chump change compared to most of the jobs we do…" a sly grin crossed her face as she reached for a pack of cigarettes Benny had left on a nearby counter that morning. "Probably the only upside to the Boss man getting offed by that cocksucker, I get a whole bigger share."

"Is that all you care about?"

"How big my paycheque is? Sure." she shrugged at the stunned look on the businessman's face as she pulled one of the few remaining cigarettes from the box with her teeth. "The one thing that's a guarantee in this world is that money can get you anywhere in this life. The more money you have, the more power you wield. This ain't Hollywood. Loyalty can be bought just as easily as guns and booze. Doesn't matter who you are. Anything and anyone can be brought for the right amount of zeros on the end of a paycheque. Why do you think I'm still hanging around?"

"Because Mr. Laguna is going to pay you ten grand?"

"Bingo."

"So…does that mean you're not going to kill him?"

The smile quickly faded from Revy's face as she lit up the stick of white, slowly turning away from the businessman's reflection to the man himself.

"What makes you ask that?"

"Just trying to make conversation."

"Then shut it. I don't need some wannabe psychiatrist asking me how I feel." She turned back to the window just in time to catch the black Mercedes for the seventh time. "That fucker deserves what's coming to him, and he knows that. He's living on borrowed time."

"You could have killed him on the dock," the businessman frowned.

"Then I wouldn't have gotten paid," Revy shrugged again, exhaling a plume of grey smoke. "That said, he'd probably be drowning in his own blood if he hadn't fucked up my arm and leg. Almost met my own end back the Yellow Flag if he hadn't pulled me out though."

"And you're still going to kill him after he saved your life?"

"Yep. Just because he saved my life doesn't make up for the fact he killed the only good thing going for me."

The businessman didn't reply. He didn't say another word until Laguna returned to the room.

* * *

"You're smoking at a time like this?"

"I smoke whenever I fucking feel like it," Revy grunted as I entered the room, "keeps me relaxed. So unless you want me to shoot you now…"

"No thanks," I smirked as I carefully approached a window. "Where's Eda?"

"Right here," as if on cue, the blonde sauntered into the office, hoisting her skirt up as she slumped onto the couch, "What's going on? Those guys still following us?"

"Yep. Been driving round the block since we got here. Probably waiting for back-up. What about you?" Revy glanced over at me as I watched the flatbed drive slowly by. "You get anything done back there, or were you having one last jerk off for old time's sake?"

"Made a few phone calls and built up some insurance." I snatched the half burnt stick from a surprised Revy's lips and taking a drag of my own. Usually I wouldn't give in to temptation, but I was tired and stressed, and I needed a release, if only for a moment. "Good news is if we manage to get through the night we might all be a little bit better off…and Okajima gets to keep his job."

"What's the bad news?" Eda asked.

"We still have to make it through the night."

"Great."

"Relax," Revy smirked as she fished a new cigarette from her pack. "We must've taken out a decent chunk of their manpower back at the Yellow Flag. It's not like we're fighting Uncle Sam and the U.S. Army…"

I frowned as I watched three cars suddenly pull out into the road before the office, the flatbed noticeably filled with half a dozen soldiers, followed swiftly by a trio of vans, more men pouring out onto the street. It was then that I saw the flash; a brief point of light erupting into life high above the buildings across the street, the nose of the gunship lit up by the rocket's muzzle flare as it streaked towards us.

"Not good. GET DOWN!"

I barely had time to shout out the warning and pull a stunned Revy to the ground before the missile smashed through glass and careened onward into Benny's room on the opposite side. Bricks, mortar and technology exploded outward in all direction as the building shook and a wave of heat washed over me with the accompanying rain of dust from the roof above.

"Shit," I shook off the debris that was collecting in my hair, "I guess they're not looking for a diplomatic end to all this."

Revy groaned underneath me, "You think?"

* * *

"Captain?" Storm winced as he watched the smoke rise from the building over the top of his superior's head, "Don't you think that was kind of…excessive? What if we've damaged the disk?"

"As long as it doesn't fall into enemy hands, I don't think the Japanese will mind much," the Captain grinned at his subordinate over his shoulder, "Besides, these guys don't seem to be the type to just drop down and die with the first barrage," he flicked on his radio. "Alright gents, move on in and flush 'em out. I wanna see the looks on their faces as I pound them into the pavement!"

* * *

"Everyone still alive?" I called out into the semi-darkness the explosion had left us in as I propped myself up on my hands.

"I'm okay!" a thumbs up belonging to Eda appeared over the top of the smouldering couch.

"Miraculously I'm still alive," Okajima's shaky reply came from somewhere near the radio set.

"I'm alright, but _you_ might not be if you don't get off."

Revy grinned up at me between my arms; a cold slash of a grin across her face with matching half-closed eyes. I merely smiled in return as I pushed back onto my feet and stood up, an offered hand reluctantly taken to pull her up with me.

"You're welcome."

The gunman snatched her hand away, a dark look on her face as a grunt was as close to thanks as I thought I was going to get.

"Fuckers are coming through the front door," Eda had ran to the window, smirking as she picked off a few of the armoured men trailing behind, "We gonna make this the Alamo or what?"

"Let's go with what," I pulled the P88s from their holsters as Revy did the same with a Beretta. "I plan to see my paycheque at least. Two-Hands, this place have an emergency exit?"

"Sure," the gunman grinned, "I'll take you on the whole fucking guided tour if you want."

"The exit will be fine. Okajima, take my briefcase and stay close to Eda. Eda, take up the rear and keep your hands off Okajima."

"Wait, you're going to take the one armed limping gunman that's trying to kill you over me!" the blonde stared at me incuriously, "Are you fucking crazy?"

"After the shit I've been through today?" I merely smiled over my shoulder. "Maybe just a little bit."

* * *

It was quiet on the other side of the door as the soldiers gathered around it, rifles at the ready. One of them pressed himself up against the wall beside the doorframe. He nodded to his comrade as he pulled a grenade from his belt, finger looped around the pin. the soldier returned the gesture, and slowly inched towards the door, his hand reaching for the handle, his weapon raised.

His fingers had barely clasped around the metal grip as his head snapped back from the bullet that pieced the fragile wood from the room beyond.

* * *

As the door collapsed with surprising ease from a single kick from yours truly, a part of me wondered if Dutch had actually planned for a contingency such as this.

The grunt Revy had downed fell back with the remains of the door as the two of us exploded out into the corridor.

I aimed down one way, she aimed down the other. By the time the guns fell silent, six men lay dead at our feet, one of them by his own grenade.

Revy smirked, "Kill 'em all baby."

I didn't reply. My mind had fallen into its calm state. I was in my element, and my only focus was the corridor ahead, and the body count I was about to rack up.

Two more mooks died by my hand as we neared the stairwell that snaked its way through the centre of the building, another three by Revy as they peeked out of various doors along the corridor, the two of us back to back.

"They seem more organised now, don't they?" I almost smiled as I let an empty magazine fall to the ground.

"Probably the smaller space," Revy shrugged, "Not like they can just line up and fill the whole place full of lead like back at the Flag. Oh, look out."

The nonchalant comment was accompanied by a shove to the back, another grunt crying out from the level above as Two-Hands caught him between the eyes.

"Careful Mr. Suit," Revy smirked at me over her shoulder, "Keep this up and I won't be able to kill you later."

"Watch your mouth Two-Hands."

I shoved her back at the flicker of movement on the stairs above us and fired, a mook clutching at his throat as blood gushed from the place his Adam's apple used to be moments later.

"Practice what you preach. You might not be able to try and kill me later otherwise."

"Yeah. Big picture was never my thing," she shrugged carelessly.

"Something to work on I guess," I smirked as I stopped to listen. The coast was clear for now, "We have to keep moving."

"We're gonna have to run then. Benny left his car near the dock and I don't think these guys are gonna let us get back to the Sedan."

"Great. Where's this exit anyway?"

Revy didn't reply until another mook tumbled down the stars thanks to a bullet from her gun, "Down the corridor. It leads onto the street behind us."

"Alright. Eda, we need another car."

"Another one?" the blonde moaned as she ran past, half dragging a terrified Okajima behind her, my briefcase in one hand and a small box under his arm, "You gotta be fucking kidding me…"

I smirked slightly as I watched them crash into the emergency exit at the end of the hallway, a part of me listening to the sounds of heavy footfalls as another team of mook made their way up the stairwell, "She likes to complain under fire doesn't she?"

"She's from the Rip-Off Church," Revy shrugged again, "They don't really get a lot of gunfights out there. She'd probably bitch less if she got shot at a couple of times a day."

"Isn't that the truth."

Two grunts came rushing up the stairs, guns raised ready to kill. They found two gunman waiting for them, both turn as one to face them, their Beretta and Walther going off as one.

* * *

The fight was getting interesting.

Above the streets of Roanapur, the Captain watched as two people flagged down a 4x4 on the rear street; a dark grey jeep with a large sunroof, only to throw its driver from the seat and drive the vehicle back to the office in time to meet their comrades at the bottom of the stairs and take off for who knew where.

"Hoskins come in," behind him, Storm frowned as he flicked through the radio frequencies, hoping the silence was just a mistake on his part. "Gerrad, respond…"

"Guess they took them all out eh?" the Captain grinned as he watched the jeep tear away from the office, "Told you we weren't dealing with amateurs."

His second-in-command stared down at his superior, "They can't have…they killed everyone? But we sent twenty men in there!"

"All the more reason for the overkill."

The jeep was moving fast now, keeping close to the buildings as it took random turns at random intervals.

But the Captain kept calm. He could see what was ahead, and already a plan was forming in his mind to move in and make his kill. After all, he could never say no to a bit of…artistic flare.

* * *

"Did we lose them?" Okajima asked.

"No vans, but the gunship's still there," I replied as I adjusted the wing mirror. I could barely see the dark shape of the helicopter high above the city lights, mostly masked by the moonless night. "He can't get to us without taking out a city block though."

Revy snorted, "You really think that's gonna stop him?"

"No, but it might make him pause for a minute…or five."

"Would these help?" the businessman held a box he'd keep holding onto, "I found them on our way out and thought…"

"You brought flare guns?" Revy peered into the box with disgruntlement, "You didn't think the RPG might have been better? It was propped up by the door."

Okajima winced, "I didn't see it," he said meekly, "Sorry. I just thought we could use the flares to blind them or something."

"I don't think that really matters right now," I frowned as I finished reloading my P88s from my briefcase, "As long as we stay out of the open, he won't be able to get a lock…"

It was at that moment the buildings around us seemed to disappear, Eda pulling the jeep to a screeching halt as the streetlights of Roanapur's empty main road temporarily blinded her.

"Gah! What the fuck?" the blonde winced at the bright lights, "Oh shit…wrong turn."

"Well get back and make a right turn," I glared at her, "Quickly before…"

I didn't manage to finish before a hail of bullets cut us off. Above our heads, the gunship had flown around to face us, it's machine guns belching bullets in thunderous bursts that smashed into the concrete behind us. In an instant Eda had helicopter the engine and pushed the jeep back into motion, the helicopter turning to follow them as they tore off down the street.

"Are we dead? Why aren't we dead?" Okajima's whimpering was barely heard over the roar of engines and the thrum of helicopter blades, "We're out in the open. Why don't they just shoot us?"

"Maybe he's a sadistic prick who likes toying with his prey," Revy said.

"One way to find out," I smirked. "Eda, make a left right here."

She didn't even have to ask what I was thinking. The moment the car inched towards the turn off, another hail of metal from the sky blocked off the route, our driver jerking the vehicle away with little room to spare.

"Bastard's toying with us," I slumped back into the chair, a scowl etched into my face. "They're just going to keep us on this one stretch of concrete until…"

"We hit the harbour," Revy matched my scowl behind me, "Fucking great Eda, you took us in one big fucking circle. Now we get to share a grave with those unlucky bastards from the _Melanesia_."

"Maybe," I glanced back at the box on Okajima's lap, "maybe not."

* * *

They learned quickly, the Captain noticed. Only one attempt to get back behind the buildings and now they were keeping to the main road. Of course now they had nowhere to run.

"Sir, we have a missile lock on their vehicle. Should we finish them off?"

"Why so hasty Storm?" the Captain smirked, not taking his eyes off his prey, "I haven't had this much fun in ages. Seems a shame to cut it short."

"But sir…"

"We have 'em right where we want 'em. From up here we can make sure the only place they can go is the water. After that, they can either take the plunge or try to surrender. I just see it now; the crying and wailing for their little lives while we piss ourselves laughing at how low they've…"

Something sparked across his vision; a tiny flash of light followed by a short pinging sound as something hit the canopy.

It took another two shots before he realised someone was shooting at him.

In the jeep below, a figure had pushed his way up through the sunroof, his unbuttoned black suit standing out from the grey of the car, the pistol in his right hand firing off another three shots his way.

"What's he thinking?" Storm stared, bewildered. "This thing's armour-plated, he's not even making a dent!"

The Captain didn't reply. He just watched as the jeep screeched to a halt bare inches from the pier before spinning round to face the helicopter. The gunman stared up at the helicopter, weapons raised.

"Is…is he challenging us?" Storm asked.

"He knows he's got no way out. He wants to go out in blaze of glory. That's kinda noble, especially round here."

"So are we going to give him a battle to the death?"  
The Captain grinned, "Nah. Let's fuck him up good!"

"Target lost," Storm blinked at his controls as warning lights flared up, "The car's on the move again."  
The Captain continued to grin as he watched the jeep roar back up the hill towards them, the figure protruding from the roof moving his weapon to a holster under his arm as his left hand raised a small snubbed pistol.

So he'd lost the missile lock. That was no big deal. Pitching his control stick forward, the entire gunship quickly dipped down towards the brightly lit concrete, the streetlamps swaying slightly against the rotors blowback as he angled the nose down the hill towards the approaching car.

"You didn't think it would be that easy did you?" the Captain grinned as his console reaffirmed a missile lock. "You're about to get fucked baby!"

It was only when the missiles were away did he actually notice the weapon the man was aiming at him as he fired towards the gunship; a short snubbed pistol-esque device…painted orange. A flare gun.

As the missiles exploded, attracted to the heat of the flare that arced through the air between them, the Captain screamed, blinded by burning white light, the control stick snapping back as he raised his hands to shield his eyes.

* * *

It couldn't have gone more perfectly if I'd wanted it to.

As the missiles detonated, I watched as the helicopter pulled back, its tail smashing into the side of the hill, its rear rotors splintering against the concrete as Eda swerved the jeep out of its path. With nothing to stabilise it, the gunship began to swing wildly out of control in wild circles over the road, the pilots within fighting valiantly to try and get down to the ground without killing themselves.

"Seems kinda pathetic," Revy noted as she watched the display, leaning against the open rear window, "Fishtailing like that. Do we have to keep watching this?"

"Not really," I smiled as I pulled the desert eagle from its holster and lining it up with the fallen gunship, "I'm just waiting for the right moment…to put it out of its misery."

As the gunship arced out over the harbour, I pulled the trigger back once, and watched as that single heated bullet made it's mark through the gunship's armoured fuselage and into its fuel tank.

The results were…spectacular, the fuel detonating into a dazzling fireball near the aircraft's centre, tearing the gunship in two. As the tail fin crash into the docks, the flaming remains managed to remain airborne for only a few moments more before it ploughed into the ocean, the main rotors tearing into the wooden piers as the twisted wreckage struggled in the foaming water, before finally sinking down into the shallow water, its engines dead.

"Is…is that it?" Okajima asked hopefully. "Is it over?"

I shrugged as I pulled myself through the sunroof and dropped down onto the pavement. "Only one way to find out."

* * *

He was alive…barely.

Spots still danced across his vision as the Captain pushed himself through the water, away from the sinking wreckage of the gunship. Every movement felt dull and sluggish, but at least he was alive, which was more than he could say for Storm. Poor bastard hadn't stood a chance. And now, neither did his targets. He was done playing games. His entire team had been wiped out, his gunship was completely destroyed. He would hunt down the bastards that had humiliated him, and make sure none of them would live long enough to regret it.

At least he thought about it, as he dragged himself up onto the side of the harbour…right up to the point the heard the sound of three pistols being cocked.

And as he looked up and found himself looking down the barrels of a Beretta, Walther and Glock, those thoughts instantly vanished.

"Aww, look at that, one of 'em survived," the bandaged woman smirked at the suited man beside her, "Guess you're not as good as you think, Mr. Suit."

"It wasn't that much of a drop, Two-Hands," the Suit, Laguna the Captain remembered, replied dryly. "Anyone with half a brain cell could at least try to pop the canopy and bail…course he'd have to have some balls, trying to avoid getting smacked by a fishtailing fuselage and all."

"So what do we do with him?" the blonde on Laguna's other side asked.

Two-Hands continued to smirk, "I say we play a game. You a betting man, Mr. Suit?"

"It's not really that much of a bet Two-Hands," Laguna shrugged, "But hey, why not? Go for it."

"Sweet. Here you go scar face." as her comrades lowered their weapons, the purple haired girl tossed the surprised soldier her Beretta, before pulling another from under her arm, "I say white."

"Don't think there's much in it, but I say white too. Eda?"

"I'm gonna say yellow," the blonde grinned, "He might surprise us."

The Captain stared at the weapon, then back up at his would-be targets. Slowly, he picked up the pistol, eyes still darting between it and them. It was obvious what they wanted from him. The barrel slowly inched towards the side of his head, his hand shaking as the three before him watched his actions. He smiled shakily.

"Come on guys. You can't be serious right? We're all guns for hire here right? This is just business, it's not personal."

"True," Laguna agreed, "This is just another day at the office for us right? In your case, it's your business to try and kill me. In our case, it's our business to kill anyone between us and our paycheque. And you're sort of in our way. So yeah, just business. So, you going to shoot yourself or what?"

Anger quickly took over any fear of death that had accumulated. Laguna was tormenting him, goading him into death, one way or another. He refused to stand for it, dying like a drowned rat on the side of the dock. With a bellowing roar, he pulled the Beretta from his head and aimed for between Laguna's eyes, a wild grin spreading across his face as he pulled the trigger…only for the hammer to slap against an empty barrel.

As quickly as it had disappeared, the fear soon returned.

"Told you," Laguna sighed. "Was never much in it."

"Damn," despite her apparent disappointment, the blonde still smiled. "Guess I loose that one."

"Should know better Eda," Two-Hands smiled coldly herself as the three raised their weapons as one, "Cocksuckers that hide behind heavy weapons and high-end technology are all the same. They think they're so big, but when you corner them alone with nothing but the clothes on their back, those steel balls they're supposed to have just drop away, leaving a whiny little bitch with no place to run. Pathetic to the end."

"So let's finish it then," Laguna stared down calmly at the Captain, no hint of emotion on his face. "Time to put this dog down."

"Fucking A."

Despite it all, the humiliation, the desecration of the E.O. forces, even his own death. As the three bullets pierced his skull and sliced through his brain, even as he fell back into the water, the Captain could do nothing but grin at how absurd he found the entire situation.

* * *

There is one chapter remaining. Just tying up loose ends and all that.

If you are interested in seeing future Laguna arcs, or indeed if you thought this fic was a waste of time, I've set up a poll on my profile page that will properly determine whether or not I will continue the series.

I hope you've enjoyed everything thus far.

DKD


	7. Change With The Rising Sun

**#7**

**CHANGE WITH THE RISING SUN**

Dawn broke over the Roanapur. And with it stood three fairly disgruntled looking people.

As per my phone calls, Balalaika, Varenkov and a representative of Asahi Industries, a man named Kageyama, had all joined myself, Revy, Eda and Okajima on the docks. Considering how far two of them had actually travelled and how exactly how long ago I'd actually made the calls, I was generally surprised as to how two of them had actually showed up on time.

Now Kageyama stood beside his car in an immaculate three-piece suit accompanied by a rather nervous looking aide with a phone to his ear standing just behind him, rather unperturbed by the fact he was being held at gunpoint by a freshly bandaged Revy and a smug looking Eda, Okajima looking nervously on from one side.

Balalaika and Varenkov stood a little ways away, near the wreckage of the tailfin, apparently trying to kill each other by glaring while their small troop of loyal soldiers stood uneasily at attention. I had never seen two people who were so alike and yet so different. Balalaika seemed to tower over the stockier aging frame of Varenkov, yet he held himself with no less dignity…or arrogance. Not a single hair, either light blonde or steel grey, was out of place on either of them, business suits of crimson and charcoal un-creased and smart. They were both soldiers of the Union, old dogs who had yet to loose their bite, their faces betraying years of battle in their own unique ways. And they were all too happy to let each other know it.

"So, you're the holder of this attack dog's leash I take it?" Balalaika smiled tightly, speaking in high paced Russian. "It's not good business to butt into other branch's affairs Grigorii."

"I suppose I could try to deny it, but why even try when the evidence is staring us in the face," Varenkov rumbled. "We all agree you're becoming too aggressive Balalaika. I just had the balls to actually try and bring you down a few pegs."

"You really think this little hiccup of yours bothers me? Please. You won't even send your own men to try and disrupt my operations. If you truly were the soldier you claim to be, why send a complete outsider rather then your own loyal men."

"I don't-"

"Enough," my voice was quiet as I pinched the bridge of my nose under my sunglasses, yet both leaders stared at me as though I'd slapped them round the face. "You're not on friendly terms, I get that. But if we can call calm down, we can all get out of this a little bit richer."

"Laguna, my friend, how could you betray me like this?" Varenkov turned his glare on me as he switched to English. "Bringing this…this….woman to our meeting! Why did you call me out here if all you are going to do is deal with this bitch?"

"This is what happens when you try to move into others territory with men you don't trust," Balalaika's smirk morphed the large scar that ran across her face. "They don't see the world quite the way you want them too. They see fish bigger then you, and know which side to take…"

"One, wrong," I pointed an accusing finger the surprised blonde's way, staring at her over the rim of my shades, "Two, I'm only on one side here: mine. The main reason you're both here is because I know if I only deal with one of you, the other will try to kill me. You're both soldiers, and you train your men to _be _soldiers," I smirked at Balalaika. "Although to be fair to you, you've got a bit of an head start there. I also need to get on your good side. I need a favour of you."

"Really?" She folded her arms across her chest. "And what makes you think I'd do anything for you? You disrupt one of my transactions, kill most of the crew I hired to acquire the disk…why should I do anything for you?"

"Because I'm about to get you what you wanted," I smiled patiently, before jerking a thumb over my shoulder. "Besides, it's more for Revy's benefit then mine. And seeing as you employed her…"

Balalaika looked over my shoulder, her face becoming unreadable as Varenkov looked between us, bewildered. Finally, she turned back to me.

"Don't try to blackmail me with some guilt trip Mr. Laguna," her eyes narrowed with a scowl. "Let's conclude our business and move on with our lives, shall we?"

"As you wish," I smiled. "If you two will kindly wait here, I'll try and make your lives a little more…enriched. Try not to kill each other."

I turned away form them before either could reply. I knew I was treading thin ice with both of them, but I was tired. If either of them had shot me right now, I might not have cared. As I approached Kageyama however, I stood up a little straighter, watching the businessman over the top of my glasses. He stared back, looking down at me like I was a bad smell.

"You speak English?"

"Of course."

"Good." I pulled the object that had caused me so much trouble from the breast pocket. _"__This_, is your disk. The one you keep all your dirty dealings and such on, and the one you sent people to kill me over. I intend to give it back to you…providing you agree to my terms."

Kageyama didn't even flinch, "And what are your terms?"

"Quite simple ones actually. You will deposit the amount we discussed over the phone last night into the accounts I will provide you with," I handed him a piece of paper with the account numbers on it. "You're also going to let Okajima keep his job, maybe give him a promotion to keep his trap shut, and he's not going to get so much as slap across the wrist concerning what's happened here."  
"And why does Okajima's welfare concern you?"

"Because he was just along for the ride," I smiled pleasantly. "This business is between you, me and the Ruskies back there. Okajima just got pulled in by circumstances out of his control, and I have this thing about corrupting unwilling innocents. Besides, you almost killed him, so I believe you owe him to keep his mouth shut. Just give him a promotion and a nice office and leave him alone. Do what I ask, and we won't have a problem."

"And if I refuse?"

"If you refuse, then I give _this_ to the media networks." I produced a second disk from the pocket. "See, I have a friend whose very good with computers, and a _very_ good tutor. Combine that with some rather interesting tech I found at the Lagoon Company offices, and you have this: a copy of every dirty deal you and your company have ever made. I have to admit, the layers of encryption you slopped onto it weren't easy to break through, but then again Arc is a wonderful teacher. I might give it to her too. She has some interesting connections apparently. I'd be amazed where the data might end up."

Kageyama scowled, "You bluffing."

"Am I?" I raised my eyebrows. "You really willing to take that risk? You want things like that transaction you made last year to come to light? You know, the one with you selling tech to both the States and…"

"Alright. You're point has been made," I made him wince. That only made me smile even more. He nodded to his aide and passed on the note, who started babbling in rapid Japanese into his mobile phone. "The money is being transferred into the accounts. In addition, Okajima will be promoted to Assistant Manager and given a profitable position with our company. Does this…satisfy your requirements?"

"For the moment," I placed the master disk into his open hand, before placing the copy back in my pocket. "I'm going to keep a hold of this one for now though. Just to make sure no checks bounce or the police find Okajima face down in the Edo-gawa River."

"And when can I expect that disk?"

"Hmm…don't know yet." I continued to smile, "Maybe a month or four…or five…or twelve…I'll get back to you on that."

Something twitched in Kageyama's eye, but when he spoke, he was still as calm as he was before, "Then I take it our business is concluded?"

"For now, yes."

"Then I will take my leave of you," he bowed to me stiffly, before heading back towards the waiting car, aide in tow, "Okajima, we're leaving."

"Y-Yes sir, I'll right behind you," our Japanese Businessman watched his boss take a few steps towards his car, before turning to me and bowing low. "Thank…thank you for everything you've done…for protecting me and…not leaving me behind."

"I'd say it was a pleasure, but most of last night could have been avoided if you'd just done as I asked and repaired the boat." I replied dryly, "Look, I know you've been through shit, and I hope I've provided enough compensation for the trouble, but save the mushy Hollywood ending for your movie nights, alright? You brought most of it on yourself anyway. Be glad I gave you this much."

Okajima faltered, but a slight side-smile passed across his face.

"Right," he nodded as he stood up, "Thanks again though. Thanks for everything."

I watched him silently. Watched as he half ran towards the waiting car, and didn't say a word until the vehicle had driven off towards the airport and out of sight.

One problem down, three to go.

As I turned back to the Russians, Revy and Eda at my sides, I noticed a man from each branch was talking into phones of their own and nodding to their superiors. I indicated to my companions to wait back as I approached.

"I take it everything is to your liking?"

"It is…satisfactory," Varenkov grunted, "Although I'm not happy about Balalaika setting the standard. That said, I am not going to argue that here."

"Agreed," the scarred woman nodded, "And now on to the matter of what exactly you want from us."

"That's easy. I want to get paid. I want both of you to pay what you owe me and Lagoon Company, minus five thousand from each to be transferred to the Rip-Off Church. That means twenty grand in total from both of you. You both gain the same, and lose the same. Considering how many zeros were on the end of the checks Asahi wrote out for you what I'm asking for is chump change in comparison." I turned to Varenkov, "While I'm thoroughly pissed at the shit I've gone through for something that was supposed to be a babysitting job, I'll continue to fulfil any contracts you send my way. But I'm not doing anything like this for you again. You want something done in Esperanza, that's different, but I'm not going to fight your damn turf wars for you." I glanced at Balalaika, "Unless you come to Esperanza and cause trouble. Then I'm all over it."

Varenkov frowned as Balalaika gave me an amused smirk, only to shrug with a sigh.

"Very well, my friend, that is…reasonable. But please take this into account. Esperanza is still fairly quiet since Chekov. If you want to keep buying those suits of yours," he smiled slightly, "You may want to…reconsider that mantra."

I scowled, "Threaten me all you like. There's always some fucker out there that's looking to have his brains blown out. Esperanza has been quiet before. It's only a matter of time before things heat up again. Now if there's nothing else…"

"Yes, I believe our business is concluded, and I will take my leave of you" the heavy set Russian nodded, "Your money will be in your account by the time you return to Esperanza, and a plane will be waiting for you at the airport. Until we meet again then. Laguna, Balalaika."

Neither myself or Balalaika so much as nodded at his farewell. We just both watched as he and his men returned to the waiting sedan, following the Asahi entourage down the road until they were out of sight.

"I will admit, you certainly have something…intriguing about you to stand up to one of our leaders like that." I glanced at Balalaika. There was something about her smile I didn't particularly like, "You must have quite the reputation."

"I've killed a lot of people," I smiled slightly, "Killed a lot of his people, killed a lot of people for him. That's just how things balance out in Esperanza."

"Indeed?" she seemed amused, "I will admit, things didn't go quite the way I'd planned, but this is still profitable end none the less. Speaking of which, I believe you wanted to ask something of me?"

"It's simple really. Lagoon Company was almost completely wiped out while on a job from you. I'd appreciate it if you would send a few jobs Revy's way. She might be well off for a while: fifteen grand can go a long way for one person, but just…keep an eye on her. That's all I want from you personally."

"I see." The blonde responded flatly, eyebrows raised, "An assassin with a conscious isn't good for business, you know."

"Please, I'm not that soft," a scowl passed over my face, "If I could go back, I would kill her crewmates all over again if they got in my way for a second time. I'd of killed her too, it might have saved me a lot of trouble. It's just business. So…will you do it?"

Balalaika looked behind me towards Revy, before shrugging nonchalantly, "I don't see why not, provided she makes a decent recovery of course. A limping one armed gunman can only go so far in this city."

"If she doesn't, give her packages or something," I rolled my eyes, "She doesn't need two hands for that."

Her light eyebrows raised, "I see. Well then, I believe this is goodbye…for now," she smiled slightly again, "You're an interesting man Mr. Laguna. If I ever do feel the need to come to Esperanza to cause 'trouble' as you put it, I may just have some work for you."

I blinked in surprise, but didn't reply. For she had already turned to head for her car. She stopped by Revy to mutter something in her ear, the gunman going slack jawed. When she reached her car (Her lieutenant opening the rear door for her) she turned to send another smile my way before entering the vehicle. There was still something about it I didn't like.

"Well…that was fairly painless," Eda came up beside me as we watched the last of the Russians head away from the docks, "And I got ten grand out of it. Not bad, considering all I had to do was run and get shot at half the night."

"Eh, the booze was alright," Revy shrugged as she shook herself from her stupor. "Could've done without the gunship though…and my crewmates getting offed."

"At least you're not out of work."

"Yeah, there's that," she sent me a look, "You do realise though I'm gonna be worth shit if my limbs don't heal."

"You took a fifty calibre slug to the shoulder and a blade to the shin," I smirked. "You're lucky your shoulder didn't explode…"

"No thanks to you."

"Regardless, considering you've made it this far, I'm sure you'll be back to guns akimbo in no time."

"Guess it all works out then huh?" Eda smiled, ignoring the fact the atmosphere was turning frosty, "Well, I better head back to the Church. Better pop back to The Flag on the way, make sure some fucker didn't steal my bike." She glanced at Revy, "You still gonna kill him?"

"I'm thinking about it."

"Then I guess I'll get out of your way," she smirked again, "Thanks again for the cash Laguna. Hope she doesn't beat you up _too_ badly before she blows your brains out."

"We'll see." I turned towards Revy, grey eyes locking with brown, "Better get out of here though, doubt you want to get caught up in any mess we might leave behind."

"Guess so," Eda's tone lost its smugness. "Well, see you around I guess. Well…one of you at least."

Eda had always seemed to be the kind of person who knew the best times to leave. Sure enough, Her footsteps were quick and quiet, and in no time at all it was just us two and the rising sun on that dock.

I stared down at Revy, she stared up at me. We both smirked.

"You really going to go through with this?" I asked.

"You've run out of time, Mr. Suit," her smile might have been sickly sweet had the psychotic tone of her voice told me otherwise, "Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, just you, me," she reached for a pistol, "And my own Beretta ninety-two cust…"

She was too slow. Her weapon was barely out of its holster before one of my own Walther P88s was in my right hand, her eyes widening as I removed the gap between us and pulled her close with my free hand, the barrel of my weapon now resting against her cheek. Unfortunately, despite the speed at which I'd tried to get the upper hand, Revy managed to pull her own gun clear, and now I could feel it pushing into my jaw, her arm trapped between us.

It was…quite the position we found ourselves in.

Despite the change of situation, Revy smirked, "You little rat bastard. I knew you wouldn't just lay down and bite the bullet."

"It's not like I didn't try to avoid this," I scowled, in no mood for games, "What the fuck do you want from me Revy? What's it going to take to stop these fucking death threats? I got you your money, I found you work…the only thing I can think of short of putting a bullet in your brain is to just fuck you senseless until you say Uncle."

She snorted, "Leave it to a guy to think sex is the answer to everything. Besides, I wouldn't touch you're limp dick even if you paid me. You think fifteen grand and playing delivery girl for Sis is going to cover everything? You fucked up _everything_ Mr. Suit. You fucked my life with two fifty cals and a torpedo launcher. Yeah Dutch was a hardass and Benny was a whiny bitch in a gunfight, but they were my crewmates. I guess they were my friends, or as close as I got anyway. I keep telling you this, but it just doesn't seem to get through your bullet proof skull. You took my life and just pummelled it until it stopped screaming. There is nothing you can do for me that will stop me from killing you. You think you'd be any different if I painted the walls with your Arc friend's brains? I don't think so. The only way you're gonna walk away from this is if you pull the trigger."

Once again, no joke. She just stared up at me, eyes cold and merciless. After everything we'd been through, one of us might die right here on this dock.

Then again, I had one last card to play.

"Work for me."

Her face said it all. She just stared at me, like I'd grown another head.

"What."

"Work for me. Come with me to Esperanza. You're good with a gun, even when wounded. The healthcare over there will be better too. Better apartments, nicer beaches, and plenty of fuckers to kill."

"You're….You're kidding right?" I felt the pressure lessen slightly, always a good sign. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"

"I'm asking the woman whose trying to kill me to come back with me and watch my back," I smirked. "It's not something I'd joke about."

"You're crazy then," Revy shook her head, as though trying to clear it, "Outta your fucking mind! What makes you think I'd even shine your shoes, let alone watch your back?"

"As far as I know you've watched it pretty well for the past ten hours or so…"

"That was different! I had a paycheque riding on you and I kinda needed you alive!"

"And you'll have more paycheques if you come back with me. Even better, we work together, we can take on bigger targets, maybe rack up the numbers. And when money's scarce, the local government pays commission to take out whoever the fuck we want. Whatever Dutch was paying you, I can match it, maybe exceed it seeing as it would be just a two way split."

"You think you can replace Dutch and Benny just like that?"

I smiled coldly, "No. What I'm saying is I can help you make a lot of money, probably a load more then what Balalaika will pay you for going postal. What I'm offering is good money and a chance to get away from this shit hole to a slightly nicer shit hole while still being able to do what you do best."

Revy's eyes were darting across my face, trying desperately to find something to make her doubt my sincerity. Judging by her look however, it was clear she couldn't find anything. And why not? Even with a knife wound through the her leg and a busted shoulder, Revy still managed to kill anything and everything that had gotten in her way, myself being the sole exception. If she hadn't been thinking about killing me, I might have brought up the proposal before I'd gone to Balalaika.

The fact a potential business partner _was _currently holding a gun to my head however had morphed this idea into a last ditch plan for survival. And judging by her semi-comatose state, it was going rather smoothly.

Finally I sighed.

"Tell you what," I pushed her pistol away from my head, the hand falling slack at her side as I removed my own P88 from her temple and stepped back, "think about it. See how Balalaika works for you, then call me." I pulled out a business card from my chest pocket and held it up to her eyes. "You want to work together, just let me know."

Revy stared at the card, before hesitantly holstering her Beretta and taking it between her fingers, her eyes wandering across the numbers. Finally she looked up at me, her eyes not completely trusting.

"You really think this is just going to make everything better?"

I smirked, "I think it's a step in the right direction. Give it a month. Give it two. Then call me. I'll be waiting."

I didn't give her a chance to say anything more. Instead, I slowly backed away before turning to walk down the road towards the end of the docks, watching her out of the corner of my eye until she was out of sight.

She watched me too I noticed, her weapons remaining in their holsters, the card held up for her to read. She was still watching me until I turned the corner and was out of sight.

* * *

The flight home to Esperanza was…uneventful. A welcome break from the running, shooting and killing I'd had to endure for the past night. No one tried to assassinate me, the pilots didn't bail out halfway over the Pacific, and we returned to Esperanza just in time for to watch Ninguna's restaurants fill with the lunch crowd of happy tourists while disgruntled mooks watched them from the shadows.

By the time I returned to my apartment and locked the door, the jetlag was starting to kick in. My home was the only place I considered to be truly safe. High up on the twenty-seventh floor of one of the tallest buildings in the outer ring, it was a large and spacious…with bullet-proof bay windows and a door that could withstand a fifty cal at close range. This private sanctuary of mine was designed to keep me alive in the unlikely event someone who wanted me dead found out about it. This place was my biggest secret, I even had precautions against my phone being traced, recently upgraded courtesy of Arc. When you make a killing from taking out soldiers of every faction on this island, it was good to be paranoid.

The sun was high in the sky as I let myself in, sunlight pouring through the open hallway door from the bay windows and irritating my eyes. I felt like shit. Nothing a good shower and twelve hours of sleep wouldn't fix, but still…

I slumped out of the narrow hallway and dumped my jacket over the top of the couch as I passed it, clumsy fingers fiddling with my holster as my feet took me towards my bed…

Until I noticed the red light of the answering machine blinking at me.

It wasn't surprising. People called me all the time, but most of the calls were redirected to my mobile when I was out. This one must have only come within the last few minutes.

Grudgingly, I pushed the button, leaning tiredly up against a wall as the machine told me when the damn message had been left. When the actual recording began however, I found myself standing up a little straighter.

"_Hey Mr. Suit. It's Two-Hands. You got a minute?"_

**THE END?**

**OR**

**TO BE CONTINUED?**

* * *

So there we have it. My first Black Lagoon story done and dusted. Will I do another? I don't know yet.  
According to the poll, as of writing this only three people want me to continue it. Right now I feel this story just isn't popular enough to continue (Which I sort of understand, seeing as I killed off half of the main characters in the second chapter.) If I get more than ten votes however, I'll probably try and write up another arc and then see if I should continue the series on a Arc by Arc basis. If I was to contiune, the next Arc would be Rasta Blasta (Because Laguna would need a boat for Ring-Ding Ship Chase and the sub in Das Wieder Erstehen Des Adlers is specifically nearer Roanapur then it is to Esperanza). I have some good ideas for this arc, but I don't want to write it up if no one or only three people really want to read it.

Anyway, that's it for A Man Named Laguna at least. I would like to thank everyone who left feedback, especially John Al who had something to say about almost every chapter. I'd also like to thank you the reader for taking the time to see this fic through to it's end. I hope it was a good read regardless of if I continue it or not.

So this is goodbye for now. Thanks again for reading.

DKD


End file.
